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To be, or not to be: A study of suicides in India

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  • Ray, Shaswata
  • Husain, Zakir

Abstract

Suicide is a complex public health and social issue of global dimension, which has taken a staggering toll on global public health, with almost one million people dying annually due to suicide worldwide. A WHO report in 2016 found that 79% of the global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries like India. This study looks at the regional and across time variations in the incidence of suicides across the different states and union territories of India. The rates of suicide differ across the different demographics and regions of the country, with there being specific clusters of states with high or low suicide rates. Suicide is a societal crisis and is hence related to various socio-economic factors like income, inequality, education, unemployment, etc. A regression analysis has been done studying the dependence of such variables on suicide rates of various states, with income, degree of industrialisation of the economy and education levels evidencing to be important correlates with suicide rate.

Suggested Citation

  • Ray, Shaswata & Husain, Zakir, 2019. "To be, or not to be: A study of suicides in India," MPRA Paper 93891, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:93891
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joe Chen & Yun Jeong Choi & Kohta Mori & Yasuyuki Sawada & Saki Sugano, 2012. "Socio‐Economic Studies On Suicide: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 271-306, April.
    2. Jonathan Klick & Sara Markowitz, 2006. "Are mental health insurance mandates effective? Evidence from suicides," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(1), pages 83-97, January.
    3. Hamermesh, Daniel S & Soss, Neal M, 1974. "An Economic Theory of Suicide," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(1), pages 83-98, Jan.-Feb..
    4. Daiane Borges Machado & Davide Rasella & Darci Neves dos Santos, 2015. "Impact of Income Inequality and Other Social Determinants on Suicide Rate in Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-12, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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