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ARMENIA: SUICIDE RATE CLIMBS AND EXPERTS ASK WHY
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 12 2014
November 12, 2014 - 11:32am, by Marianna Grigoryan
Leaflets placed at the 62-meter-high Kiev Bridge in the Armenian
capital of Yerevan offer a simple message: "Choose life, not death."
They are also a sign that Armenia is grappling with an uncomfortable
reality - a drastic rise in the suicide rate.
The numbers paint an alarming picture: from 2003-13, the annual number
of suicides and suicide attempts in this economically challenged
South-Caucasus country, as recorded by the National Statistical
Service, soared from 377 to 768 cases - a more than 100 percent
increase. Most cases involve jumping off a bridge, in particular
Yerevan's Kiev Bridge, or hanging. As yet, no extensive study of the
trend has been conducted.
In the absence of hard data, some observers link the spike in suicides
to Armenia's tough economic conditions, in which nearly a third of
Armenia's official population of 2.9 million people is believed to
live in poverty. Others point to societal factors, such as widespread
domestic violence.
Still others blame the media, claiming that the way suicide is
currently depicted on television is indirectly encouraging people to
take their own lives.
Until only a few years ago, Armenian media maintained a Soviet-style
reticence on the topic of suicide. That now has changed: several
television dramas have featured characters choosing suicide as a
solution to their problems. Meanwhile, news reports spare few details,
sometimes broadcasting footage of family members mourning the loss
of a loved one, or showing graphic images of dead bodies.
"There are many reports about those who commit suicide, and if
something is being kept constantly in focus, it gradually turns into
something normal," Yerevan State University social psychologist
Vladimir Mikaelian said. "When people keep hearing about others
throwing themselves off bridges or hanging themselves in an attempt
to end their lives, these methods begin to be perceived as a normal
way of problem-solving, while, actually, they are not."
Mikaelian called for the establishment of press coverage guidelines for
suicides. "Taboos with regard to such phenomena are very important,"
he said.
Filmmaker Arshak Zakarian also believes "a direct link" exists between
sensational media coverage and the rise in suicides. "The media tries
to attract readers and gain popularity by covering suicides. All of
this goes into people's sub-consciousness," Zakarian said.
In 2013, Zakarian attempted to push back against this perceived
media trend with a short film about a depressed middle-aged man who
is stopped in his suicide attempt when he rushes to catch a toddler
on the verge of falling off a balcony. No Armenian television station
picked up Zakarian's film.
One government statistician urged caution in trying to pinpoint causes
for Armenia's increase in suicides. "The number of suicide attempts
and suicides is increasing, but the reasons are so various that it is
extremely difficult to name a specific one," said Karine Kuyumjian,
head of the National Statistical Service's Census and Demography
Department. "This situation needs serious study."
Neither any government agency nor non-governmental organizations have
developed a program to address the problem of the rising suicide rate.
The Interior Ministry's special investigative unit that handles
suicides declined to discuss its work with EurasiaNet.org.
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70886
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 12 2014
November 12, 2014 - 11:32am, by Marianna Grigoryan
Leaflets placed at the 62-meter-high Kiev Bridge in the Armenian
capital of Yerevan offer a simple message: "Choose life, not death."
They are also a sign that Armenia is grappling with an uncomfortable
reality - a drastic rise in the suicide rate.
The numbers paint an alarming picture: from 2003-13, the annual number
of suicides and suicide attempts in this economically challenged
South-Caucasus country, as recorded by the National Statistical
Service, soared from 377 to 768 cases - a more than 100 percent
increase. Most cases involve jumping off a bridge, in particular
Yerevan's Kiev Bridge, or hanging. As yet, no extensive study of the
trend has been conducted.
In the absence of hard data, some observers link the spike in suicides
to Armenia's tough economic conditions, in which nearly a third of
Armenia's official population of 2.9 million people is believed to
live in poverty. Others point to societal factors, such as widespread
domestic violence.
Still others blame the media, claiming that the way suicide is
currently depicted on television is indirectly encouraging people to
take their own lives.
Until only a few years ago, Armenian media maintained a Soviet-style
reticence on the topic of suicide. That now has changed: several
television dramas have featured characters choosing suicide as a
solution to their problems. Meanwhile, news reports spare few details,
sometimes broadcasting footage of family members mourning the loss
of a loved one, or showing graphic images of dead bodies.
"There are many reports about those who commit suicide, and if
something is being kept constantly in focus, it gradually turns into
something normal," Yerevan State University social psychologist
Vladimir Mikaelian said. "When people keep hearing about others
throwing themselves off bridges or hanging themselves in an attempt
to end their lives, these methods begin to be perceived as a normal
way of problem-solving, while, actually, they are not."
Mikaelian called for the establishment of press coverage guidelines for
suicides. "Taboos with regard to such phenomena are very important,"
he said.
Filmmaker Arshak Zakarian also believes "a direct link" exists between
sensational media coverage and the rise in suicides. "The media tries
to attract readers and gain popularity by covering suicides. All of
this goes into people's sub-consciousness," Zakarian said.
In 2013, Zakarian attempted to push back against this perceived
media trend with a short film about a depressed middle-aged man who
is stopped in his suicide attempt when he rushes to catch a toddler
on the verge of falling off a balcony. No Armenian television station
picked up Zakarian's film.
One government statistician urged caution in trying to pinpoint causes
for Armenia's increase in suicides. "The number of suicide attempts
and suicides is increasing, but the reasons are so various that it is
extremely difficult to name a specific one," said Karine Kuyumjian,
head of the National Statistical Service's Census and Demography
Department. "This situation needs serious study."
Neither any government agency nor non-governmental organizations have
developed a program to address the problem of the rising suicide rate.
The Interior Ministry's special investigative unit that handles
suicides declined to discuss its work with EurasiaNet.org.
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70886