Every 35 hours a person committed suicide in the first eight months of 2018 in the state of Yucatan, with a total of 167 self-inflicted deaths up until August 31, which represents an increase of 18% in relation to the 141 cases of the same period in 2017 .
The statistics for this year are similar to those of 2016, a calendar in which the record number of 227 suicides was reached in the state . What has caught the attention of mental health authorities is that in recent weeks the average age ranges between 20 to 32 years of age.
According to data from the State Health Department, during the first eight months of 2018 a total of 167 suicides have been registered in Yucatan, a record number that exceeded last year’s 141 (during the first 8 months of the year).
In 2017, the figures were 18 suicides in
- January, 18
- February, 9
- March, 16
- April, 17
- May, 24
- June, 18
- July, 19
- August, 20
Out of the 167 suicides, 139 are men and 28 women (five were minors).
The method of hanging is the most used in Yucatan to commit suicide, with 147 cases, while 17 have been for poisoning and three by other means (firearm).
Mérida is the municipality with the highest incidence, with 70 self-inflicted deaths; in second place is Kanasín, with 16 cases; the third is Umán, with 8; Tecoh follows, with 5; then Ticul, Valladolid and Progreso, with 4 each; while Celestún, Baca, Cuzamá and Conkal, with 3, also Hunucmá, Opichén, Oxkutzcab and Yaxcabá, with 2 cases, and there are 38 other municipalities with one case each.
According to the Mental Health Unit of the SSY, the most common cause of suicide is depression, mostly due to economic problems, lawsuits, terminal illnesses and addictions.
TYT Newsroom with information from SIPSE
