Suicide in cyprus 1988-1999.

Suicide is a universally observed human behavior related to bio-psychological, social and cultural factors. The aim of the present study was to examine suicide in Cyprus, an island that has known many civilizations and cultures. All completed suicide cases in the Christian population of Cyprus during the years 1988-1999 were included in the study and they were analyzed according to age, gender, reported reasons for suicide and suicide methods. The main results indicate that: 1. The mean age-standardized suicide rate is the lowest in Europe, in males (3.08/100,000) and also in females (1.05/100,000). 2. Mean suicide rates increase significantly with age in males only. 3. Female suicide rates are highest in the 15-24 age group. 4. Statistically significant rising trends of male and female suicide rates in the all-ages group. 5. Suicide methods were mostly violent. Among males, the most common methods were poisoning, firearms-explosives, and hanging, while in females, jumping, hanging and poisoning. 6. Mental disorders, physical illness, interpersonal and financial problems were the main reported reasons for suicide. The epidemiological characteristics of suicide in Cyprus might be attributed to a combined effect of social and cultural factors and probably reflect influences from countries to which Cyprus is ethnically, historically or geographically related.

Utilization of psychiatric inpatient care in Greece: a nationwide study (1984-1996).

This report examines the trends in the utilization of psychiatric inpatient care for the period 1984-1996, when the implementation of the psychiatric reform programme was initiated in Greece. Admissions in public mental hospitals declined by 7.2%. However discharges have been increased by 30.6% with a parallel decrease of the length of stay by 53.7% followed by an increase in discharges of patients diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia and affective psychoses by 61.1% and 123.8% respectively. In the private sector a remarkable reduction in both admissions and discharges was noticed. Admissions in psychiatric departments of general hospitals for the same years have been increased by 1054.1%. It seems that the recent deinstitutionalization process resulted in increasing trends in the discharges of patients suffering from psychoses. Additionally, a substantial increase in the number of extramural psychiatric services and rehabilitation places between 1994-1996 was observed. The demand for the mental health care services expressed as the urbanization index was found to be related with mental health professionals and the extramural units ratios. The higher degree of urbanism is, the greater the number of extramural services exist. The models explained variance reached 50.6%.

Geographical variation in mental hospital discharges in Greece and socioeconomic correlates: a nationwide study (1978-1993).

BACKGROUND: In this paper the geographical distribution of discharge rates of psychiatric patients in Greece, nationwide, is shown. METHOD: Utilization rates are estimated by the number of discharged patients from all public and private mental hospitals for the period 1978-1993. RESULTS: During this period six prefectures were repeatedly found to exhibit the highest discharge rates for both sexes. Five out of those six areas are mountainous, socially isolated and of a lower level of socioeconomic development, lacking mental health services. The correlation coefficients for the annual mean age-standardized discharge rates of psychiatric patients and the corresponding General Index of Development score of each area were found to be statistically significant for all diagnoses, and for schizophrenic psychoses taken separately, in each prefecture for each of those years (1978-1993). CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the higher the hospital treated psychiatric morbidity is, the lower is the level of general socioeconomic development of the area. It is possible that families from socially disadvantaged areas, with limited support resources, are unable to avoid the hospitalization of their mentally ill members.

Changing patterns of mental health care in Greece (1984-1996).

Greece joined the European Community in 1981 and, three years later, the Commission of the European Communities provided financial and technical assistance under EEC Regulation 815/84 for the modernisation of the traditional psychiatric care system, with the emphasis on decentralisation of mental health services and the development of community-based services, as well as on deinstutionalization of long-stay patients and improvement of conditions in public mental hospitals. Over the last 11 years, the implementation of the EEC Reg. 815/84 programme contributed to a significant shift towards extramural care and rehabilitation. The role of the large mental hospitals has gradually been diminished and a large number of long-stay patients have been deinstitutionalised. It is commonly accepted that the EEC-funded psychiatric reform programme, despite inadequacies and constraints, had an impact on the changing mental health scene in Greece.

Suicide in Greece 1980-1995: patterns and social factors.

A nationwide study of suicide in Greece from 1980 through 1995 demonstrated: 1. A mean age-standardized suicide rate of 5.86/100,000 for males and 1.89/100,000 for females. 2. An increase in suicide rates with age, especially in males. 3. Significant rising trends of male suicides in the 45-54 age group. 4. Significant declining trends of female suicides in age groups 15-24, 75-84, and total. 5. The lowest suicide rates among married men and women. 6. Exceptionally high rates in young widowed men. 7. Rural suicide rates were twice as high as urban rates. 8. Suicide methods were mostly violent, especially in males. 9. Hanging was the most common method, employed in approximately 50% of all suicides. The low suicide rates and the trends observed can probably be attributed to a synthesis of social and cultural characteristics of the Greek people and ongoing changes in Greek lifestyle.