Is suicide a Hungarian phenomenon?
Sándor Kalmár, M.D. Ph.D.
Suicide rate has been extremely high in Hungary for years. The Hungarian suicide behaviour is a curious phenomenon and the suicide rate is high among the Hungarian people all over the worlds.
Number of Suicides per 100 000 in Hungary. 2008.
Figure 1. Number of Suicides per 100 000 in Hungary. 2008.
Suicide Standard Mortality Rate in Different Countries. 2005.
![Suicide Standard Mortality Rate in Different Countries. 2005. [MBD-European Mortality Database. WHO.]](https://iandp.azureedge.net/images-v01/a550-figure-2.jpg)
Figure 2. Suicide Standard Mortality Rate in Different Countries. 2005. [MBD-European Mortality Database. WHO.]
where H – Hungary, A – Albania, SK – Slovakia, UA – Ukraine, SRB – Serbia, CRO – Croatia, SLO – Slovenia, F – Finland, EU – 15 countries of the European Union
After the First Word War, Hungary lost 67.3% of its territory and 58.4% of its population. Examining the suicides in the Harghita County in Romania, we found that the number of suicides is extremely high among the Hungarian people after 90 years of the Treaty of Trianon [June 4th, 1920], in spite of the fact that Romania has a low suicide rate. At present the ethnic Hungarians in Harghita County, Romania, comprises 84.64% of the population, and 93% of all suicide victims are Hungarian.
The number of suicides per 100 000 by counties. Hungary vs. Romania. 2008.
| HUNGARY | ROMANIA | ||||||||
| Suicide rate | HUNG | BÁCS- KK-C |
CSONG- COUNTY |
BÉKÉS COUNTY |
HAJDÚ- BIHAR |
SZABOLCS SZATMÁR | RO | HARGHITA | SATU- MARE |
| male | 40.1 | 45.9 | 54.4 | 9.3 | 53.9 | 41.5 | |||
| female | 10.7 | 15.4 | 16.5 | 13.3 | 15.2 | 9.1 | |||
| total | 24.7 | 29.9 | 34.4 | 40.1 | 33.7 | 24.6 | 12.9 | 28.8 | 23.2 |
Table 1. The number of suicides per 100 000 by counties. Hungary vs. Romania. 2008.
The number of suicides and suicide rate, 1991-2009. Hungary vs. Bács-Kiskun County (Hungary) vs. Harghita County (Romania).
| Years | Hungary | Bács-Kiskun County (H) | Bács-Kiskun County (H) | Harghita County (Ro) | Harghita County (Ro) |
| Suicide rate | Number | Suicide rate | Number | Suicide rate | |
| 1991 | 38.5 | 282 | 52.1 | 82 | 22.7 |
| 1992 | 38.6 | 316 | 58.4 | 93 | 26.6 |
| 1993 | 35.7 | 256 | 47.5 | 136 | 39.0 |
| 1994 | 35 | 285 | 52.5 | 131 | 37.7 |
| 1995 | 32.6 | 261 | 48.4 | 132 | 38.2 |
| 1996 | 33.3 | 239 | 44.3 | 158 | 45.8 |
| 1997 | 32.1 | 226 | 42.1 | 165 | 48.0 |
| 1998 | 31.6 | 257 | 48.1 | 118 | 34.4 |
| 1999 | 32.5 | 262 | 49.3 | 136 | 39.7 |
| 2000 | 32.0 | 264 | 49.7 | 96 | 29.4 |
| 2001 | 29.2 | 222 | 40.7 | 116 | 35.6 |
| 2002 | 28 | 223 | 41.0 | 117 | 35.9 |
| 2003 | 27.7 | 219 | 40.4 | 108 | 33.1 |
| 2004 | 27.1 | 207 | 38.3 | 99 | 30.3 |
| 2005 | 26 | 194 | 36.0 | 112 | 34.3 |
| 2006 | 24.4 | 184 | 34.3 | 107 | 32.8 |
| 2007 | 24.4 | 165 | 30.8 | 105 | 31.3 |
| 2008 | 24.7 | 159 | 29.9 | 87 | 26.7 |
| 2009 | … | 181 | 34.1 | 80 | 24.5 |
Table 2. The number of suicides and suicide rate, 1991-2009. Hungary vs. Bács-Kiskun County (Hungary) vs. Harghita County (Romania).
Despite that more than 90 percent of those died in suicide and those attempting one suffer from a psychiatric illness in the time of the event, which is in most cases major depression (56-87%), alcohol or drug related illness (26-55%), schizophrenia (6-13%), or personality disorders, especially borderline personality disorder, the social and cultural factors increase the risk for suicidal behaviour and have a great importance both in Hungary and Hargitha County.
Nevertheless, the majority of depressed patients are not diagnosed even today in the primary care and an appropriate treatment is obtained neither in Hungary nor in Hargitha county. The lack of recognition of depression and proper treatment is obvious in depressed patients who commit suicide.
References
- Hendin H., Mann J.J.: The clinical Science of Suicide Prevention. The New York Academy of Sciences, New York, 2001.
- Kalmar S. (2009) The consequences of the self-destructive behavior with special consideration of the suicide and its prevention opportunities. Bács-Kiskun county 1995-2006. Doktori Értekezés.
- Veress A, Vadas Gy: A Hargita megyei öngyilkosságok epidemiológiai felmérése az 1991-1996 közötti idoszakban. A Magyar Orvosok Világszövetsége Erdélyi Társasága IV. Orvos-kongresszusa, Tusnádfürdo, 1997. X. 9-12
- Veress A, Dorgó A, Veress R: Suicide in Harghita County (Romania). Epidemiological research, 2000-2009. In Press.