Russia ranks second in world suicide rating

Moscow, Nov 24 (UNI) Russia ranks second after former Soviet Baltic republic of Lithuania in world suicide rating.

''Russia takes second place in the world for the number of suicides, after Lithuania. Suicides claim between 57,000 and 60,000 lives annually in Russia,'' the Director of Russian Social and Psychiatric Research Centre, Tatyana Dmitriyeva told RIA Novosti news agency.

With Russia's official population of 145 million, the number of 60,000 suicides corresponds to 41 per 100,000 people.

The head of the Serbsky National Research Centre for Social and Forensic Psychiatry said cardiac diseases were the most common cause of death in the country, followed by suicides, cancer and car accidents.

Dmitriyeva said about 90 per cent of suicides were caused by psychological disorders.

The most problematic regions for suicides in Russia, are the Koryak Autonomous region (with 133.5 suicides per 100,000 population), Komi republic (110.3), Altai republic (101.9) and the Nenets Autonomous Area (95.7).

According to official data, in Moscow and St Petersburg, 11 and 17.8 people per 100,000 population, commit suicide each year, respectively.

UNI XC SB HT1800