A South African commits suicide every hour

Medical psychology professor Lourens Schlebusch of Durban's Nelson Mandela School of Medicine says patients with HIV/Aids in South Africa are 36 times more likely to take their own lives.

He describes suicide as a major problem in South Africa.

"Suicide is the third major contributor to deaths......8% of all deaths in South Africa are suicide related." says Prof Schlebusch who did his research over a period of more than 25 years.

Prof Schlebusch is due to present a paper at the launch of the World Suicide Prevention Day in Sweden on 10 September.

At the launch, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, in conjunction with the World Health Organisation (WHO), will be seeking to raise awareness on the problem and the actions needed to tackle it.

These include improved treatment methods and facilities and restricting access to methods of suicide through stricter gun law and closer monitoring of prescriptions.

In South Africa, shooting was ranked the most common method in fatal suicides, while drug overdose was the main method used in non-fatal suicide attempts.

Children

Prof Schlebusch says that the most common precipitators of suicide in South Africa are interpersonal, marital, relationship, family and financial problems as well as stress, academic related problems, depression and incest.

The main causes of stress are violence and high crime rates, socio-economic problems as well as human rights violations.

According to the research findings, 4% of schoolchildren have suicidal tendencies, with around 8% among them having attempted suicide.

Prof Schlebusch says that most suicides occurred in the 15-19 age group.

The rape of children has also led to an increase in suicides because victims and their families do not know how to handle the situation.

Worldwide, suicide is the 13th most common cause of death , the fourth most common among those aged 15-44 and the sixth most common cause of ill-health and disability , according to the WHO.

In the year 2000 alone an estimated 815,000 people died from suicide around the world - one death every 40 seconds.