Suicide in Lebanon .. between psychological factors and the living crisis

Wassim Al-Zuhairi - Beirut

Sadness accompanied by indignation, the family of the Lebanese youth Danny Abu Haidar who ended his life by shooting his head inside his home, Danny the father of three children, the eldest of 13 years, could not tolerate the difficult living reality that made his family's life heavily indebted.

Sadness overwhelmed Danny's relatives and friends, but he also pushed them to cry out in the face of political power, as they held them responsible for the economic and social situation in the country.

Ibrahim Abu Haidar, the victim's brother, considered that the latter committed suicide because of the political class that failed to manage the affairs of the country, and devoted itself to caring for her personal interests and looting public money, as he put it.

Abu Haidar blamed the authority officials, party leaders and political forces for the economic and living deterioration that led the citizens to what he called "losing hope for a better life".

Abu Haidar told Al Jazeera Net that his brother was suffering from accumulated debts because he was responsible for supporting his family and parents, especially after his father was dismissed from his work months ago.

Fears of a high suicide rate
Danny's case was not the only one, as it recorded recently two suicide operations in addition to suicide attempts, at a time when Lebanon is witnessing popular protests denouncing the rampant corruption and exacerbating the country's crises at various levels.

Professor of Social Psychology at the Lebanese University, Nizar Abu Joudeh, believes that the comparison has not yet indicated that the suicide rate exceeded the normal range known in Lebanon, but he pointed out that there are fears that this percentage may increase due to the conditions that Lebanon is going through.

Abu Joudeh added to Al Jazeera Net that it is scientifically and objectively that the rate of suicide increases due to the current crisis that affects everyone, and creates general anxiety for many, which leads some of them to depression, pointing out that depression may turn into a dangerous degree of disorder, and thus to suicidal behavior what Not processed.

He explained that, according to sociology, the rate of suicide may increase in cases of internal threat to the country, such as civil war, hunger and poverty, as the situation turns into a permanent concern.

Abu Joudeh stressed the role of the media in raising awareness, and properly approaching this problem through specialists.

Statistics
According to Mia Atwi, a psychiatrist and one of the founders of the "Empress Association", the last count of suicides this year until last August was 126, an average of one every two and a half days.

Atwi told Al Jazeera Net that the association received many calls recently from people who complain of all kinds of social distress, noting that the communications department has expanded in the last two years to include all Lebanese regions after it was previously confined to Beirut and its suburbs.

She noted that suicide is caused by mental illness caused by various factors related to the circumstances surrounding people, such as economic, physical, social and psychological pressures, except for biological factors related to heredity.

Atwi indicated that the pressures of the crisis that Lebanon is currently experiencing affect many, and that its impact will be greater on people who suffer from certain psychological factors.

She stressed the importance of paying attention to factors that might lead people to commit suicide, including feeling depressed, wanting to be isolated, losing hope, despair and stopping talking.