PROFESSIONAND SUICIDES

ACTA FAC. MED. NAISS. 2003; 20 (4): 203-208

Professional article

PROFESSIONAND SUICIDES

Jovica Jovanović¹, Milan Jovanović³, Mirjana Aranđelović¹, Branislav Petrović², Aleksandra Arizanović¹,Biljana Kocić² Slobodanka Bašić², Slađana Jović², Suzana Tasić²

¹Institute of Occupational Health in Niš
²Public Health Center in Niš
³Clinical Center in Niš

Introduction

The problem of suicide is as old as man and his civilization. Suicidal act is typical only of man; it is a universal phenomenon present in all epochs and cultures of humanity. It is an enigma and is still a subject of contemplation and debate of experts in various fields. This term implies personally chosen behavior which tends to cause death chiefly in a short period, to express one's despair, helplessness and anger. Etiology of suicides is multifactor where as a cause of death, mostly mentioned, are illness, grave material, social and family circumstances, spiritual disorientation, hopeless situations, loneliness, neglect, helplessness, failure, emotional blows, fear, and strong sentiment of responsibility or striving for a heroic act. (1-10). There are proofs that factors of professional exposition can play an important part in suicide etiology too (10-14).
The analysis of suicide etiology is very important for only on its basis preventive measures can be taken. Moreover, if they are properly applied, it can reduce the number of potential suicides by almost 60% (15-17).

THE AIM OF THE STUDY
The aim of this study is the analysis of the number of suicides in the area of Niš, Pirot and Toplice region during the period 1998-2002 with a special attention focused on the profession of the victim.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We analyzed both the data from the original certificates of the causes of death as well as data from The Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding suicides with known profession.

RESULTS
In the previous five-year period there have been 252 suicides with known profession. There was an increase in the number of suicides in the studied period. During 1998 there were 26 suicides whereas in the following years the number progressively increased only to reach the number of 99 suicides in 2002. Suicides are more frequent in male population (61,1%) than in female population (38,9%) (Table 1).

Table1. Suicides in last five years

Year	Male		Female		Total
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1998	16	61.5	10	38.5	26	100.0
1999	18	62.1	11	37.9	29	100.0
2000	16	59.3	11	40.7	27	100.0
2001	42	59.2	29	40.8	71	100.0
2002	62	62.6	37	37.4	99	100.0
Total	154	61.1	98	38.9	252	100.0

Table 2. Suicides in function of profession in last five years of examination

Profession	Year
	1998		1999		2000		2001		2002		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Housewife	9	15.5	10	17.2	4	6.9	16	27.6	19	32.8	58	100.0
Farmers	7	13.5	8	15.4	3	5.8	14	26.9	20	38.5	52	100.0
Production workers	2	5.4	2	5.4	10	27.0	11	29.7	12	32.4	37	100.0
Administrative workers	3	13.1	2	8.7	4	17.4	6	26.1	8	34.8	23	100.0
Electricians			1	4.8	1	4.8	8	38.1	11	52.4	21	100.0
Workers in public services							4	23.5	13	76.5	17	100.0
Drivers					1	14.3	3	42.9	3	42.9	7	100.0
Policeman, soldiers	1	14.3	2	28.6	2	28.6	2	28.6			7	100.0
Civil workers							2	33.3	4	66.6	6	100.0
Health workers							2	40.0	3	60.0	5	100.0
Engineers	1	20.0	2	40.0	2	40.0					5	100.0
Schoolchildren							2	40.0	3	60.0	5	100.0
Teachers									2	100.0	2	100.0
Student							1	50.0	1	50.0	2	100.0
Clergy	1	50.0	1	50.0							2	100.0
Economist	1	50.0	1	50.0							2	100.0
Lawyer	1	100.0									1	100.0
Total	26	10.3	29	11.5	27	10.7	71	28.2	99	39.3	252	100.0

In addition, suicides are most frequent in housewives (23%), farmers (20, 6%), production workers (14, 7%), administrative workers (9, 1%) and electricians (8, 3%). The annual increase in suicide prevalence in some professions was noticed. For example, in electricians suicide prevalence in 1999 and 2000 was 4, 8%; during 2001 it increased to 26, 9% reaching 52, 4% in 2002. In production workers the increase of suicide prevalence was noticed from 5, 4% during 1998 and 1999 to 27% in 2000 reaching 29, 7% in 2001 and 32% in 2002. In drivers the number also increased from 14, 3% during 2000 to 42, 9% during 2002 (Table 2).
The dominant ways of committing suicide in the studied group were hanging (51, 6%), poisoning (22, 2%) and jump from height (7, 1%). In housewives, drowning (38, 9%) and poisoning (24, 6%) prevailed as ways to commit suicide. In farmers the ways to commit suicide were hanging (24, 6%), drowning (22, 2%) and jumps from height (22, 2%). In production workers the most frequent way to commit suicide was firearm shot (30, 0%), in administrative workers it was jumping from height (16, 7%) and in electricians it was hanging (14, 6%) (Table 3).

Table 3. Profession and suicide acts

Profession	Suicide acts
	Hanging		Drowning		Poisoning		Firearms		Jumping from big height		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Housewife	27	20.8	7	38.9	20	35.7			4	22.2	58	23.8
Farmers	32	24.6	4	22.2	7	12.5	5	16.7	4	22.2	52	20.6
Production workers	14	10.8	4	22.2	6	10.7	9	30.0	4	22.2	37	14.7
Administrative workers	16	12.3	1	5.6	3	5.4			3	16.7	23	9.1
Electricians	19	14.6					2	6.7			21	8.3
Workers in public services	10	7.7			2	3.6	5	16.7			17	6.7
Drivers	4	3.1			2	3.6	1	3.3			7	2.8
Policeman, soldiers	1	0.8			3	5.4	3	10.0			7	2.8
Civil workers	3	2.3	1	5.6	2	3.6					6	2.4
Health workers	1	0.8			3	5.4			1	5.5	5	1.9
Engineers	1	0.8			1	1.8	2	6.7	1	5.5	5	1.9
Schoolchildren	1	0.8			2	3.6	2	6.7			5	1.9
Teachers					1	1.8	1	3.3			2	0.8
Student			1	5.6	1	1.8					2	0.8
Clergy					2	3.6					2	0.8
Economist	1	0.8			1	1.8					2	0.8
Lawyer									1	5.5	1	0.4
Total	130	100	18	100	56	100	30	100	18	100	252	100

As far as female population is concerned, in all professions, a dominant way of committing suicide is hanging, except in health workers and economists where poisoning is more dominant way to commit suicide. For instance, one lawyer took her own life by jumping from height and one worker in service industries did the same by a firearm shot (Table 4).

Table 4. Way of female suicide acts in different professions

Profession	Way of female suicide acts
	Hanging		Drowning		Poisoning		Firearms		Jumping from big height		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Housewife	27	46.6	7	12.1	20	34.5			4	6.9	58	100
Farmers	6	46.1	2	15.4	3	23.1			2	15.4	13	100
Administrative workers	5	45.5	1	9.1	2	18.2			3	27.3	11	100
Production workers	3	50.0			2	33.3			1	16.7	6	100
Health care workers	1	25.0			2	50.0			1	25.0	4	100
Schoolchildren					1	100					1	100
Student			1	100							1	100
Workers in public services							1	100			1	100
Economist					1	100					1	100
Lawyer									1	100	1	100
Engineers									1	100	1	100
Total	42	42.8	11	11.2	31	31.6	1	1.02	13	13.3	98	100

In male population, in all professions, a dominant way of committing suicide is hanging. However, in policemen, soldiers, engineers, teachers and students the main way to commit suicide is a firearm shot (Table 5 ).

Table 5. Way of male suicide acts in different professions

Profession	Way of male suicide acts
	Hanging		Drowning		Poisoning		Firearms		Jumping from big height		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Farmers	26	66.7	2	5.1	4	10.2	5	12.8	2	5.1	39	100
Production workers	11	35.5	4	12.9	4	12.9	9	29.0	3	9.7	31	100
Electricians	19	90.5					2	9.5			21	100
Workers in public services	10	62.5			2	12.5	4	25.0			16	100
Administrative workers	11	91.7			1	8.3					12	100
Policeman, soldiers	1	14.3					3	42.8	3	42.8	7	100
Drivers	4	57.1			2	28.6	1	14.3			7	100
Civil workers	3	50.0	1	16.7	2	33.3					6	100
Schoolchildren	1	25.0			1	25.0	2	50.0			4	100
Engineers	1	25.0			1	25.0	2	50.0			4	100
Teachers					1	50.0	1	50.0			2	100
Clergy					2	100					2	100
Economist	1	100									1	100
Health workers					1	100					1	100
Student					1	100					1	100
Total	88	57.1	7	45.5	22	14.3	29	18.8	8	5.2	154	100

DISCUSSION

The analysis of data on suicides shows that most suicides were committed by housewives, farmers, production workers, administrative workers and electricians. The years of economic crisis, war surroundings, waves of refugees, intensive political turmoil in the previous period, the onset of the transition period, low income and uncertainty have certainly contributed to the increase in the number of those belonging to the vulnerable groups who chose to commit suicide. The presence of a large number of suicides in farmers can partially be explained by their unsettled status along with socio-economic situation. In farmers, the dominant way to commit suicide is hanging but the use of pesticides in their regular work can have a special importance in the origin of suicides (18). There are opinions that various chemicals used in farming can contribute to more frequent occurrence of suicides by their neurotoxic effects (19). In this study hanging dominates in farmers as a cheaper and faster way of carrying out suicidogenic ideas. An English study also confirms great prevalence of suicides in farmers and those working in pesticide production (20). Australian authors register a high rate of depression and suicide among rural population and they suggest the opening of special counseling offices to deal with such a problem (21). A longitudinal study of the University of California points to a higher risk of suicides in some professions, such as miners, financial sector workers, insurance companies and services (22) which is confirmed in this study as well. The analysis of suicides in this study points to a higher risk of suicide occurrences in electricians, that is, in workers professionally exposed to electromagnetic non-ionizing radiation of extremely low frequencies. These results correspond with the results of the studies of other authors who register the increase in the number of suicides among those working with electricity (23, 24). A frequent occurrence of suicides in production workers in industry can be explained by the presence of stressogenic factors at work places such as hard physical effort, mental effort, bad interpersonal relations, dissatisfaction with the job, bad socioeconomic status (25, 26). The jobs of housewives, drivers and workers in service industries are linked to the presence of stressogenic factors which can emphasize more frequent occurrence of suicides (27, 28, 29).
The results of this work show that there were suicides among health care workers which confirms the conclusion that jobs in health care bring risks for the occurrences of suicides (11, 14) due to the presence of stressogenic factors and availability of medicines which determine the chief way of carrying out suicidogenic intents (29,30). Some English authors studied the phenomenon of suicide in health workers and determined that dentists and students of dentistry are on higher risk of occurrence of suicide in regard to other profiles of health workers (31). Availability and presence of firearms can contribute to more frequent occurrence of suicides and determine the way of committing suicide in some professions (20, 32).

CONCLUSION

Suicide is a very common among working people. Workers who are professionally with high stress factors in their working environment and in electromagnetic non ionization emissions environment run too much a risk of doing such a thing. Working conditions, working environment and working requirements usually determinate a specific way of suicide acts. It is necessary to take measures of prevention and fight against both bad conditions as well as bad working environment.

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