Abnormal Psychology

Mood Disorders and Suicide 237

Table 6.13 • Suicide Rates in Selected Countries

are prone to impulsive behavior, such hopelessness sets them up to be like “an ac-

cident just waiting to happen.”

Social Factors: Alienation and Cultural Stress

Suicide rates vary across countries (see Table 6.13; De Leo, 2002a; Vijayakumar

et al., 2005; WHO, 1999), which suggests that social and cultural factors affect

these rates. In some developing countries, the presence or history of a psychological

disorder poses less of a risk for suicide than it does in developed countries

(Vijayakumar et al., 2005). Note, however, that social and cultural differences may

partly refl ect different genetic vulnerabilities to certain risk factors (such as certain

psychological disorders). For instance, the residents of one country could have a

higher suicide rate, in part, because more people in the country tend to have genes

P S

N

Country or area Year

Total number

of suicides

Suicide rate per 100 000 population

Total Male Female

Male: female

ratio

Argentina 1996 2 245 8.7 14.2 3.9 3.6

Australia 1998 2 633 17.9 28.9 7.0 4.1

Brazil 1995 6 584 6.3 10.3 2.5 4.1

Canada 1997 3 681 15.0 24.1 6.1 3.9

China 1999 16 836 18.3 18.0 18.8 1.0

Cuba 1997 2 029 23.0 32.1 14.2 2.3

Czech Republic 1999 1 610 17.5 30.1 6.3 4.8

Finland 1998 1 228 28.4 45.8 11.7 3.9

France 1998 10 534 20.0 31.3 9.9 3.2

Germany 1999 11 160 14.3 22.5 6.9 3.3

Ireland 1997 466 16.8 27.4 6.3 4.3

Israel 1997 379 8.7 14.6 3.3 4.4

Italy 1997 4 694 8.4 13.4 3.8 3.5

Japan 1997 23 502 19.5 28.0 11.5 2.4

Kazakhstan 1999 4004 37.4 67.3 11.6 5.8

Puerto Rico 1998 321 10.8 20.9 2.0 10.4

Republic of Korea 1997 6 024 17.1 25.3 10.1 2.5

Russian Federation 1998 51 770 43.1 77.8 12.6 6.2

Singapore 1998 371 15.7 18.8 12.7 1.5

Thailand 1994 2 333 5.6 8.0 3.3 2.4

Ukraine 1999 14 452 33.8 61.8 10.1 6.1

United Kingdom 1999 4 448 9.2 14.6 3.9 3.8

United States 1998 30 575 13.9 23.2 3.3 4.4

Venezuela 1994 10 89 8.I 13.7 2.7 5.0

Source: World Health Organization (2002), World Report on Violence and Health, p. 187; http://www.who.int/violence_injury_

prevention/violence/global_campaign/en/chap7.pdf.