A study by researchers from Penn Medicine found that financial crises are followed by a notable amount of suicides.
The study, conducted alongside researchers at the University of Crete in Greece and the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, looked at suicide data in Greece from 1983 to 2012. In that time, according to Charles C. Branas, a professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, "suicides closely followed the announcements of specific government economic programs in Greece." In 2011 when the Greek government "passed unpopular austerity measures," reported suicides saw a 36 percent increase. The increase was found to be larger among women than men.
The study was the first to systematically analyze suicides in Greece and call attention to the relationship between suicides and economic events.
Read more about the study here.
