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Suicide and Russia

Suicide and Russia. Looking at a cloudy future. 58,000 Russians commit suicide each year (34.3 per 100,000). Russia ranks 3 rd globally to former Soviet republics Lithuania and Belarus in suicide rates. Suicide is the # 2 cause of death in Russia behind heart disease. The Dark Facts.

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Suicide and Russia

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  1. Suicide and Russia Looking at a cloudy future Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  2. 58,000 Russians commit suicide each year (34.3 per 100,000). Russia ranks 3rd globally to former Soviet republics Lithuania and Belarus in suicide rates. Suicide is the # 2 cause of death in Russia behind heart disease. The Dark Facts Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  3. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  4. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  5. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  6. Basic Demographics • Largest group of suicide victims in Russia: • Males ages 45-54 • 106.7 per 100,000 • Women are most prone after the age of 75 • 27.4 per 100,000 • Men are 6 times more likely to commit suicide than females • Higher rates of suicide for military personnel Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  7. Faces of pain Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  8. What causes suicidal behavior? • Why didn’t mental health improve after the fall of communism? • Is there a geographical pattern to suicide? • Is there a historical precedent for high suicide rates in Russia? • What health issues exist to create suicidal depression? • How do the economic conditions of a country contribute to the problem? Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  9. Psychology of suicideWhat causes suicidal behavior? • “the extent and diversity of facts related to suicide are intimidating and baffling….” • Thomas Joiner – “Why People Die by Suicide” • Hopelessness brought on by factors such as: • Varying degrees of mental illness • Physiological conditions • Economic situation • Every suicide has its own story Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  10. Russian supermodel Ruslana Korshunova leapt to her death from her NYC, 9th story apartment on June 30, 2008 A high profile case sometimes gets attention, even when not in Russia Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  11. The euphoria of the break-up of the Soviet Union was short-lived Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  12. Uncontrolled CapitalismWhy didn’t mental health improve after the fall of communism? • The 1990’s saw a “grabification” of virtually all assets. • Growing mafia and control by “oligarchs” led to continued shortages for most and runaway inflation. • 16% rise in mortality during the 1990’s attributed to suicide. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  13. Global geography of suicide Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  14. Geography of Russian suicide • Higher in rural areas than urban areas • Largely rural districts of Koryak and Komi have Russia’s highest suicide rate. • Koryak 133.5 per 100,000 • Komi 110.3 per 100,000 • Cause of death in cities are often difficult to determine and may actually be higher. • St. Petersburg 17.8 • Moscow 11.0 Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  15. Koryak Autonomous District Komi Republic Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  16. Komi Republic Koryak A.D. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  17. Dostoevsky’s RussiaIs there a historical precedent for high suicide rates in Russia? • Tsarist Russia, starting in the 1860’s saw a significant rise in suicides. • Many social and political reforms accompanied this time period including the freeing of the serfs. • Newspapers and journals reported this newly addressed sociological issue. • Dostoevsky wrote about it both in newspaper and in his book, “The Possessed”. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  18. Tsar Alexander II is assassinated during this time of social turmoil Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  19. Dealt with suicide and the nihilistic times of the 1860’s and 1870’s in “The Possessed”. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81) Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  20. Alcoholism in Russia is rampant, with strong evidence of its detrimental effect on the health of the Russian people, and specifically to higher suicide rates. What social conditions exist to create serious depression? Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  21. 8 million men and 2 million women are alcoholics 500,000 young people under the age of 15 are alcoholics Alcoholism in Russia Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  22. Options are limitless Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  23. The anti-alcohol campaign • Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to slow the rate of alcoholism and its effects in a campaign in the 1980’s to make drinking un-patriotic and un-Soviet. • Lower mortality rates and a 23 to 100,000 suicide rate during this period was effective in the short term. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  24. Drunkenness NO! … A communist must prefer milk or water! Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  25. Alcohol is the best partner Count the days withoutin crime! Alcohol. (Or count the days in the gulag). The choice is clear! Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  26. Post Communist effect • The state monopoly lifted in 1992 led to an international market of alcohol into Russia. • Homemade spirits called samogon or gamyrka also flood the market. • Inflation of food prices do NOT affect alcohol prices as taxes go uncollected. • Alcoholism increases Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  27. Vodka - a new spin on chess Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  28. Cleaning fluids, cologne, anti-freeze and virtually anything with alcohol is drank. 43% of alcohol deaths are directly related to one of these products. Anything with alcohol Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  29. Effect on Suicide • 12% reduction in life expectancy between 1990-1994 in post Gorbachev era. • Findings: • Frequent and heavy drinking lead to higher rates of suicide. • Cultures preferring distilled spirits have higher suicide rates than wine and beer cultures. • Acute intoxication also leads to increased incidence of suicide. • (Gruenwald, Ponicki, & Mitchell 1995; Razvodosky 2003; Rossow 2000) Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  30. HIV/AIDS and Suicide in Russia UN statistics suggest anywhere from 550,000 to 1.6 million in Russia infected with HIV. Increase in infection rates starting in 1996. Primary source, the increase in intravenous drug usage. 50% of all new cases are women and children. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  31. Under-reported HIV cases (2001)Russian Federal AIDS Centre Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  32. 13,000 orphaned HIV children as of 2005. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  33. Industrial areas most prone Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  34. Public demands government response Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  35. Almost 100 new cases of HIV are registered every day It is estimated that 1.2% of adults are HIV-positive 80% of those infected are 15-30 years old 43% of all newly registered HIV cases are women of childbearing age As of June 2006, 63 harm reduction programs were under way in Russia. Ads to address the HIV problem Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  36. The impact on suicide • WHO report says there is at least an 8 times greater risk of suicide among AIDS patients. • Most suicides occur shortly after discovery of the HIV virus. • 26% of recently HIV diagnosed women in one study attempted suicide in NYC. • Russian numbers have yet to be determined Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  37. Economics and suicide in Russia • Suicide rates rose during the 1990’s as the economic free for all hurt most Russian citizens. • Rising unemployment rates, massive declines in per capita income, and failed reforms led to this increase in suicide and increase in overall mortality in Russia. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  38. The State Dissolves • Loss of State run industries led to large scale unemployment. • State subsidies disappeared for food and housing. • People who had jobs were left with no support network, no expendable income, and no credit. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  39. It is estimated that suicides were responsible for approximately a 16% increase in the deaths during the 1990’s alone. Economics and suicide in Russia Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  40. 21st century – Putin and beyond • Suicide rates continue to remain one of the highest in the world. • Health care facilities lag behind world standards for industrialized nations. • Chronic diseases brought about by lifestyle choices threaten longevity of this nation. • GDP ranks 58th in the world and its HDI at 67th globally. Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  41. Sources Henriksson, Markus M., Erkki T. Isometsä, Päivi S. Hietanen, Hillevi M. Aro, and Jouko K. Lönnqvist. "Mental Disorders in Cancer Suicides." Journal of AffectiveDisorders . 36 (1995):11–20. Mitaishvili, Ramaz. 15, April 2008. Abkhazia Institute for Social and Economic Research. Russian peacekeeping in Abkhazia and suicide. United Nations. (2007) UN Aids Annual Report: Knowing Your Epidemic >http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/jc1535_annual_report07_en.pdf Paperno, Irina. (1997). Suicide as a Cultural Institution in Dostoevsky’s Russia. Cornell University Press Krastev, Nikola. “CIS: UN Body Takes on Rising Suicide Rates”.Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 9, September 2006. (2008)http://www.rferl.org/articleprintview/1071203.html “Suicide rates in Russia on the increase”.The Lancet. Vol. 362 19, July 2003 (2008)<www.thelancet.com Transatlantic Partners Against Aids. 2008. July 2006 Policy Brief #3(2) HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Russia and Measures Required to Avert its Further Spread Brainerd, Elizabeth. (January 2001). Economic Reform and Mortality in the Former Soviet Union: A Study of the Suicide Epidemics in the 1990’s, Williams College and Center for International Development, Harvard University, and IZA Bonn. Yelizarov, Valery, PhD Economics, Head of the Center of Population Studies, Moscow State University. United Nations in Russia. (2008). Demographic Policy in Russia: From Reflection to Action Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  42. Sources Yelizarov, Valery, PhD Economics, Head of the Center of Population Studies, Moscow State University. United Nations in Russia. (2008). Demographic Policy in Russia: From Reflection to Action Rancans E., Renbert E.S. & Jacobsson L. (2001). Major demographic, social and economic factors associated to suicide rates in Latvia, 1980-1998. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia, 103, 275-281 Bertolote, Jose Manoel and Fleischmann, Alexandra (2002). A global perspective in the epidemiologic of suicide. Suicidologi 2002. Gruenewald, P. J., Ponicki, W.R. & Mitchell, P.R. (1995). Suicide rates and alcohol consumption in the United States, 1970-1989. Addiction, 90, 1063-1075 Razvodosky, Y.E. (2003). Association between distilled spirits consumption and violent mortality rate. Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy, 10, 235-250. Pridemore, William Alex, PhD, (1999). Heavy Drinking and Suicide Mortality in Russia, Indiana University Joiner, Thomas E. (2005). Why People Die by Suicide. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England World Health Organization. 2008. 3, July 2008 >http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/print.html< Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

  43. Perry-Castaneda Library – UT myfashionaddictions.blogspot.com/2008/06/trag... dincarslan.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html www.abc.net.au www.student.bmj.com www.adreampuppet.wordpress.com www.news.bbc.co.uk www.blogs.trb.com www.sennaya.com www.okpatents.com www.zemun-fun.blogspot.com www.mhayutin.com www.fas.org www.thebody.com www.danchurchaid.org www.unicef.org www.everythingforadoption.com/russia-adoption.asp www.uoregon.edu/~kimball/sac.1855.1903.htm www.topnews.in Jeff Cherry – Russia 2006 Photo Credits Jeff Cherry, Clear Creek High School 2008

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