Ecuador: Seven out of 100,000 Ecuadorians commit suicide

Seven out of 100,000 Ecuadorians commit suicide
A study has revealed with figures how is the situation of this social problem in the country in the last 15 years

Diego Mosquera. Quito
Seven out of every 100,000 inhabitants commit suicide in Ecuador , so has determined a study conducted by a multidisciplinary and inter-institutional team of researchers from the University of the Americas (UDLA), Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial (UTE) and Universidad Central.

The analysis has investigated the problem of suicide in Ecuador in the last 15 years and has been based on official figures in order to better understand this social problem and seek solutions.

In this sense, Esteban Ortiz, a researcher and member of the team , explained to MEDICAL EDUCATION that data from the study have determined that in the last 15 years in Ecuador , some 13,024 people have committed suicide , of which 28.5% are women While 71.5 are men.

” We have analyzed every year and the figures have varied with 2007 being the year in which more suicides had reached a rate of 7.2 suicides per 100 thousand inhabitants and the lowest was in 2013 with 4 out of 100 thousand.”

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Methods Used to Commit Suicide

In Ecuador the main mechanism used by suicides is hanging with 51.1 percent, followed by 35 percent who have used some type of poison and firearms occupy 7.6.

Who commits suicide more?

Research has determined that single men are more prone to suicide , followed by people living in free-marriage and divorced people. “Here we must emphasize that men use more violent mechanisms to end their lives compared to women who generally choose to use pills or toxic products,” Ortiz said.

According to the study the provinces of Ecuador that more suicides report are Napo, Cañar, Cachi and Azuay

The hidden figures

The researcher has pointed out that in health systems there are no figures of suicide attempts which makes it difficult to care in these cases, “there is an underestimation of the attempts, but globally the calculation is that of each successful suicide there is 10 to 40 attempts that did not end in death. In addition men are more effective because the world average estimates that every two attempts one becomes successful while women for every 4 attempts only one, “he said.

The data

90 percent of suicides are caused by psychiatric illness.

Ecuador is among the countries that manage a normal average with respect to the region