Suicide in Egypt: Should it Be prevented or disregarded?

Worldwide, suicide is the fourth leading cause of mortality among the 15-29-year-old category [1]. A suicide case occurs around the world every 40 seconds, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released at the end of 2019; more than half of suicides are committed by people under 45, as well as those between 15 and 29 [2]. According to WHO statistics, 7881 people committed suicide in Egypt alone in 2022; while in 2019, 3022 people committed suicide in Egypt [3]. Egypt has a suicide rate of <5.0 per 100 000 people, compared to an average of 9.0 worldwide [1]. This low rate of suicide may be either due to defects in surveillance or religious traditions of the country, leading to under-reporting consequences [4].

In males (4 per 100 000), the rate is twice that in females (2 per 100 000), regardless of age. The rate of suicide seems to increase with age according to Egypt Suicide Rate 2000–2022 due to having psychological problems more than females [5,6]. Among male suicidal cases in 2005–2009, suicide by toxins accounted for 70% of deaths, followed by burns (13%), drowning (6%), falling from a height (6%), hanging (4%), and firearms (2%) [7].

Among the most common causes of suicide in Egypt are social factors, such as bullying, violence, and family disintegration, according to the study, and bullying may be a major contributor, especially due to its spreading on social networking sites, which can expose victims to psychological pressures and loss of self-confidence, causing them to commit suicide to relieve such psychological fatigue. Family disintegration and violence within the family, especially when raising children, can also be factors contributing to suicide [4].

The Egyptian government urgently needs a roadmap for suicide prevention through suicide prevention guidelines and a national strategy. Therefore, we recommend some measures to be done: (1) Education about mental health, depression and suicide prevention should be included as one of the parts of schools’ curricula across Egypt. (2) Teachers and parents, especially mothers should be trained on how to detect the mental health and suicide ideation of the children. (3) Schools should be provided with enough resources (i.e., mental health clinics) to tackle any case immediately. (4) Social media platforms should be provided with accurate medical content regarding increasing public awareness of mental health and suicide prevention.

For the plan to be effective, it should include several levels of intervention and activities that are interdisciplinary. It is important to screen, train gatekeepers, educate primary care physicians, restrict the use of means, and conduct public awareness campaigns. Health officials should support adequate funding, ensure constant surveillance, and provide comprehensive care to people at risk of suicide at all levels, including in hospitals and non-medical facilities. Egyptians need depression screening programs to identify those at high risk of suicidal thoughts and provide preventive measures accordingly.

To increase awareness of suicide and motivate everyone in the neighborhood to participate in the care of those at high risk, public education campaigns should promote cooperation among all community members. Volunteer organizations and the Egyptian health-care system should develop a program that analyzes factors leading to suicide, such as the absence of family or work and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [8]. People with suicidal thoughts should be provided with an action plan. As a means of reducing stress, Egyptians who feel unworthy should engage in social activities to talk and seek early mental-health assistance.

Lastly, Egyptian psychologists and psychiatrists should take the lead in lessening the suicide burden in the Egyptian community by increasing the patients’ awareness about suicide and creating accurate medical content on social media.

Ethical approval

N/A.

Source funding

None.

Author contribution

RAF: designed the study. RAF and NS: made the first draft. RAF: updated the manuscript. RAF and BA: reviewed the final draft and edited final. All authors have critically reviewed and approved the final draft and are responsible for the content and similarity index of the manuscript.

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Guarantor

All authors.

Consent

N/A.

Declaration of competing interest

None declared.