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Suicide is a silent plague that is killing people daily in different cities and towns of Spain. Is the type of settlement and air temperature affecting the probability of killing yourself? What we can deduce from statistical models.
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Target audience
People living in towns and cities, Public officials and public health practitioners.
The problem
Deaths by suicide are the leading cause of violent death. Understanding their risk factors is essential for developing effective prevention campaigns. Uncountable factors can lead a person to kill himself, such as medical history, demographic variables, and socio-economic aspects. The natural environment, in the form of climate change, has also gained relevance as a cause of mental distress. Moreover, in Spain, some stereotyped geographic locations (cities versus towns) seem not to be thought of as happy settlements when suicide rates are studied.
What we did and why
We evaluated deaths by suicide in Spain. First, we describe deaths by suicide in cities and towns from five provinces (Barcelona, Cantabria, Madrid, Pontevedra, Sevilla), together with the methods used to commit suicide. Second, we use a complex statistical method to estimate in which provinces ambient temperature and apparent temperature can increase the risk of people killing themselves.
Our study’s contribution
The average annual rate of deaths by suicide during the 17 years was six per 100,000 inhabitants. Depending on whether the municipalities have more than 10,000 inhabitants or not (cities vs. towns), we found that in the five provinces we studied, the incidence rate in the cities was lower than that of the towns. The age of deaths by suicide was significantly higher in towns than in cities.
Impacts for city policy and practice
Taking into account that deaths by suicide are avoidable; decision-makers must have a better understanding of the place and the environment in which these deaths occur. It is important to develop comprehensive and effective public health prevention strategies based on more holistic studies where multiple factors are considered in order to confront this new national epidemic.
The whole community in a city or town should care about the well-being and mental health of its neighbourhoods. Mental wellbeing depends on many aspects, inclusiveness, solidarity and mutual care are very important values inside communities.
City officers must implement policies oriented towards the creation of real awareness of the relevance of the existing problem, and teachers at schools and health professionals play a key role in identifying risky situations for individuals.
Built environment professionals can include on city and town design ecological and biometeorological factors in order to minimise environmental distress caused by climate breakdown.
Further information
Full research article:
Suicide trends and climate: insights from 17 years of Spanish data by Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe, Bo Wen, Yao Wu, Ricardo Almendra, Alejandro Villar and Ana Santurtún.
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