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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
Published in: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 5/2013

01-09-2013 | Regular Article

Temperature-associated suicide mortality: contrasting roles of climatic warming and the suicide prevention program in Finland

Authors: Samuli Helama, Jari Holopainen, Timo Partonen

Published in: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine | Issue 5/2013

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Abstract

Objectives

Suicide is a notable cause of death worldwide, and while suicidal behavior appears to be associated with variations in temperature, no estimations are available of climate change impacts on suicide rates. The study aims to evaluate the influence of temperature on suicide mortality, especially on multi-decadal and longer time scales, that is, at scales on which the ongoing warming distinctly operates and is correspondingly appropriate for the current policy responses to warming climate.

Methods

Our results are based on an extraordinarily long record of deaths from suicide in Finland from 1751 to 2008, and a similarly long climatic record of ambient temperatures correlative of environmental change in the study region.

Results

We show that temperature variability explains more than 60 % of the total suicide variance up until the initiation of a national suicide prevention program. Despite ongoing warming, suicide rates have declined since the initiation of the program.

Conclusion

By understanding the complexity of suicidal behavior as a response to ambient warming and the observed effects of interventions, our results underline the pressing need for a network of prevention programs to battle against temperature-mediated health hazards.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Temperature-associated suicide mortality: contrasting roles of climatic warming and the suicide prevention program in Finland
Authors
Samuli Helama
Jari Holopainen
Timo Partonen
Publication date
01-09-2013
Publisher
Springer Japan
Published in
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine / Issue 5/2013
Print ISSN: 1342-078X
Electronic ISSN: 1347-4715
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-013-0329-7

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