Suicide among immigrants in Europe--a systematic literature review

Abstract

Immigrants 'bring along' their suicide risk, at least for the initial period they spend in the immigration country. Health-care planners and providers need to be aware of this 'imported risks'. However, most immigrant groups do not have an increased suicide risk relative to the local-born population; some may even experience substantially lower risks.

Characteristics of Attempted Suicide Patients Presenting to a Greek Emergency Department

“…However, it has been found that there is substantial heterogeneity of suicide risks among immigrants, relative to those local-born populations of European countries, depending on variations in country-of-birth suicide rates [23,24].…”

Suicidal Ideation and Attempt among Immigrants in Europe: A Literature Review

“…Such contradictions and lack of general pattern may be due to a number of varying factors. Somali immigrants in the US believed that suicidal trends did not exist in the Somali community [19]. Furthermore, participants had a difficult time speaking about depression, suicide and emotions openly.…”

Suicidal Behaviors in Patients Admitted to Emergency Department for Psychiatric Consultation: A Comparison of the Migrant and Native Italian Populations Between 2008 and 2015

“…The continuity highlighted by the correlation with suicidality in the migrants' countries of origin may be understood from either a cultural or a genetic perspective. However, the results in this ield are mixed, and while a recent review concluded that, overall, most migrant groups do not have an increased suicide risk relative to the localborn population, with some even experiencing substantially lower risks [15], another one reported higher rates of suicidal behaviors among migrants compared to host populations, which is likely due to diiculties in the acculturation and integration process [3].…”

“…Furthermore, as already pointed out, migrants may seek psychiatric help only when their distress has reached a severity that requires urgent interventions [55,48]. Lastly, as described in the irst sections of this chapter, the literature on suicidal behaviors in migrants varies, but certain reviews have not found a higher suicide risk in migrants compared to the local-born populations [5,15].…”