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Almidani S, Abo Hilal M, Alghadban M, Abou Helal O, Alkourdi M, Kannan J, Ekzayez A, Patel P, El Achi N. Demographics and risk factors for suicide in Syria: A retrospective media content analysis of online news sources. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2024; 11:e50. [PMID: 38690572 PMCID: PMC11058519 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2024.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Syrians have faced violence and displacement causing an increase in mental health issues. The COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 earthquake, and deteriorating living conditions have exacerbated these issues. Suicide in Syria remains an under-researched topic since accurate data are difficult to obtain. In this study, we aimed to explore the demographics and risk factors of suicide in Syria by performing a retrospective content analysis of selected online news (media) outlets from across Syria. Twelve news outlets from the three regions of Syria were selected and news of suicide cases were searched retrospectively. The age range was between 9 and 79 years old with the average age being 27.1 ± SD 5.9 years. The most reported causes of suicide were harsh living conditions (18.5%) and relationship problems (18.3%). The most common method of suicide was hanging followed by using firearms. More suicides occurred at night and in the summer and spring seasons. Based on our study's results, young adult, male, unmarried, individuals in rural settings and northern governorates were at the highest risk of suicide in Syria. This study highlights the urgent need for mental health interventions that address the unique challenges faced by Syrians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salma Almidani
- Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria (R4HSSS) and the Centre for Conflict and Health Research (CCHR), Department of War Studies, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Abdulkarim Ekzayez
- Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria (R4HSSS) and the Centre for Conflict and Health Research (CCHR), Department of War Studies, King’s College London, London, UK
- Syria Public Health Network, London, UK
| | - Preeti Patel
- Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria (R4HSSS) and the Centre for Conflict and Health Research (CCHR), Department of War Studies, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Nassim El Achi
- Research for Health Systems Strengthening in Syria (R4HSSS) and the Centre for Conflict and Health Research (CCHR), Department of War Studies, King’s College London, London, UK
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Swed S, Rais MA, Aljabali A, Siddiq A, Elsayed M, Shoib S. Suicide prevention in Syria. Lancet Psychiatry 2022; 9:e47. [PMID: 36116451 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(22)00299-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarya Swed
- Faculty of Medicine Aleppo University, Aleppo 22743, Syria.
| | | | - Ahmed Aljabali
- Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | | | - Mohamed Elsayed
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sheikh Shoib
- Department of Psychiatry, Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Srinagar, Kashmir, India
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Real-time suicide surveillance supporting policy and practice. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2022; 9:384-388. [PMID: 36618746 PMCID: PMC9806971 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2022.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Suicide mortality rates are a strong indicator of population mental-health and can be used to determine the efficacy of prevention measures. Monitoring suicide mortality rates in real-time provides an evidence-base to inform targeted interventions in a timely manner and accelerate suicide prevention responses. This paper outlines the importance of real-time suicide surveillance in the context of policy and practice, with a particular focus on public health and humanitarian crises.
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