Suicide rate rises in Turkey

In the midst of a pandemic, the Turkish population is facing a crisis, both in terms of external problems and internal instability. It is not only the economy that is in a delicate situation, but also society. Citizens have to bear the ravages of the economic crisis in addition to the authoritarian drift of its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The opposition party has reported that 112 suicides were recorded across the country in March. Of these cases, 13 people were under the age of 18, according to the Turkish media Cumhuriyet. Political opponents have explained that the CHP is making "strenuous efforts to reveal the true figures of suicides in the country in the absence of official data". The proper treatment of mental health is still an unfinished business in the country. According to the CHP, there is a state of depression among people that "needs urgent attention" so that suicide rates do not worsen. 

Since 2012, the country has experienced an increase in suicide rates, as the renowned Turkish writer Elif Shafak explains to the British media The Guardian. "When we think of recession, unemployment and poverty, we think mainly of numbers. But each number represents a real human story. Times of financial crisis and political instability have a devastating impact on the way people see not only the present, but also their hopes for the future," says Shafak. The writer reviews some of the most shocking suicide cases in the country, such as the case of the Yetiskins family in Istanbul's conservative Faith neighbourhood in 2019. Two men and two women, from the same family, consumed cyanide to end their lives. Days later something similar happened in the southern region of Antalya, a family committed suicide with the same substance. Shafak also criticises the subsequent coverage of suicide cases, in which the victims are accused and condemned. In the first case, the pro-government Islamist newspaper, Yeni Akit, argued that a book by Richard Dawkins, 'The God Delusion', was the reason they had ended their lives. "An atheist book has driven 4 people to suicide," read one headline. 

The economic situation and general malaise have caused more and more people to suffer from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. "Society is being pushed towards despair," Mansur Beyazyürek, a medical expert, told Turkish media outlet Hürriyet. He also warns of the danger that addictions, such as drugs, have on young people, many of whom are disillusioned about the future. In one year there have been more than 5,000 suicide attempts, and applications for weapons licences have increased by 34 per cent, according to Al-Ain.

Another very worrying fact is the main reason for suicides among women. According to TÜIK, the Turkish Statistical Institute, it was mostly "family conflict" that caused them to end their lives. For men, on the other hand, the main reason is financial hardship. The situation of women in Turkey is critical, and with the confinements due to the coronavirus pandemic, male violence has increased. Many women have to stay at home for a long time, so they spend more time with their abuser. From the Turkish government it seems that the increase in the abuse of women does not matter. Recently, Erdogan announced Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention against male violence. However, feminist associations in the country claim that this convention has never been complied with. However, this gesture by the president shows how little concern the government has for the plight of women. In 2019, 474 women were murdered according to data from We Will Stop Femicide. This platform also reported that 42% of Turkish women have suffered physical or sexual violence from their partners.