WHO: 1 suicide every 40 seconds an avoidable tragedy

Calling suicide a major public health problem that must be confronted and stemmed, the World Health Organization released a report showing that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds. The study, which covered 172 countries, was released 3 weeks after the apparent suicide of Hollywood actor Robin Williams, which prompted WHO to warn that media reporting of suicide details raises the risk of copycat behavior. “It is estimated that over 800 000 people die by suicide and that there are many suicide attempts for each death,” said WHO chief Margaret Chan, who stressed that it is an avoidable tragedy that fails to grab attention because of taboos and stigma.

Read the full story on Rappler.