Suicide Attempt and Suicide Death in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Abstract

Objective: suicide attempts and suicide death fall within a category of psychological disorders that is under the influence of economic, social, and cultural factors. Awareness of the prevalence of this phenomenon is essential for the adoption of preventive policies. Accordingly, the current study was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of suicide attempts and suicide deaths via Meta-analysis in Iran.
 Method: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published between 2010 and 2021 to estimate the prevalence of suicide attempts and suicide deaths in Iran. Accordingly, databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Google Scholar, SID, and Magiran were searched and all related articles were extracted by the statistical tests of random and fixed effects model, meta-regression, and funnel plot using the STATA software. These articles were then analyzed.
 Results: A total of 20 studies were entered into the systematic review, with a total of 271,212 attempted suicides and 22,780 suicide deaths. Accordingly, the prevalence of suicide attempts in the whole population was 131.0 (CI 95%: 124.0 – 137.0) per 100,000 people (152 per 100,000 women and 128 per 100,000 men). Moreover, the prevalence of suicide death was 8.14 (CI 95% 7.8 – 8.5) per 100,000 people in the general population (5.0 per 100,000 women and 9.1 per 100,000 men).
 Conclusion: According to these findings, Iran can be ranked among the countries with a low prevalence of suicide attempts and completed suicides (compared to the global average). Although the trend of completed suicides is declining, the trend of suicide attempts is increasing and has often affected young people.

Investigation of the trend and related factors of suicide attempts and suicide deaths in southeast Iran during 2018–2022

“…Similarly, in the study of Razai et al, the rate of suicide showed an increasing trend in Iranian elderly 17 . In a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles published between 2010 and 2021 in Iran, although Iran was ranked with a low prevalence of suicide attempts and suicide deaths compared to the world average, however, the trend of suicide attempts was increasing and mostly affecting young people 2 . Unlike our study, the results of this systematic review study showed that the trend of suicide deaths was decreasing 2 .…”

“…Suicide is one of the main causes of unnatural death in the world 1 . Suicide is defined by World Health Organization (WHO), as an act in which a person hurts himself/herself consciously and without the intervention of others 2 . The increased incidence of suicides in recent years has attracted widespread national and international attention 2 .…”

“…Suicide is defined by World Health Organization (WHO), as an act in which a person hurts himself/herself consciously and without the intervention of others 2 . The increased incidence of suicides in recent years has attracted widespread national and international attention 2 . Due to this alarming growth, WHO and the international association for suicide prevention (IASP), have designated September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Da 3 .…”

“…Notably, developing nations, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean region, have witnessed a concerning uptick in suicide rates during the past decades 7 . Despite Iran’s comparatively lower suicide rate of 6.8% globally, recent studies underscore a worrisome trend of a 60% surge in the country’s suicide rate between 2015 and 2019, with an annual increase of 15% 2 . Comparing suicide rates in the second quarter of 2020 to the same period in the previous year reveals a notable surge in both the frequency and characteristics of suicide attempts 2 .…”

“…Despite Iran’s comparatively lower suicide rate of 6.8% globally, recent studies underscore a worrisome trend of a 60% surge in the country’s suicide rate between 2015 and 2019, with an annual increase of 15% 2 . Comparing suicide rates in the second quarter of 2020 to the same period in the previous year reveals a notable surge in both the frequency and characteristics of suicide attempts 2 . According to the suicide studies, numerous factors are involved in suicide attempts 8 – 10 .…”