Sosyal Bilimler ve Sağlık Bülteni

Özgün Makale

No. 13 (2025)

Some facts “as far as we know”: Suicide statistics in Türkiye between 2001-2023

Submitted
January 28, 2025
Published
2025-02-24

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore how suicide data is collected, introduce key sociological theories on suicide, and provide a descriptive analysis of the changes in suicide rates in Turkey from 2001 to 2013. The study first highlights some issues related to the collection of suicide data, then summarizes the views of prominent theorists, including Durkheim, on suicide, and finally presents its findings. This study uses a quantitative approach and presents the results of a descriptive research based on the analysis of secondary data. To make comparisons, data from 2001, 2011, 2021, and recent years (2022, 2023) were examined using statistics from the Turkish Statistical Institute data portal. In cases where data was unavailable for these years, the oldest available data and subsequent data from ten-year intervals were used for comparison. The study looks at changes in suicide rates based on regions, gender, age, marital status, education level, and reasons for suicide. The findings show a slow increase in suicide rates from 2001 to 2023, with the largest increases in suicide rates seen in the Western Marmara, Northeast Anatolia, Central Anatolia, and Mediterranean regions. In all regions and age groups over 15, men have a higher suicide rate than women. However, for those under 15, the suicide rate for women is higher than for men in all years. The suicide rate has decreased in younger age groups, increased in middle and older age groups, decreased in lower education levels, and increased among those with a high school education or higher.

References

  1. Atkinson, J.M. (1968). On the Sociology of suicide. The Sociological Review, 16: 83-92.
  2. Baechler, J. (1979), Suicide: A Study in Sociology. New York: Wiley.
  3. Bayrak, S. (2017). İşsizliğin intihar üzerindeki etkileri: Türkiye için bir nedensellik analizi. Sosyal Siyaset Konferansları Dergisi, 73, 125-141.
  4. Cılga, İ. (1995). Batman’da genç kız intiharları. Toplum ve Sosyal Hizmet, 13(1), 36-54.
  5. Çıraklı, Ü. (2019). Türkiye’de ekonomik göstergeler ile intihar hızı arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi: Ekonometrik bir analiz. Sağlık ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Dergisi, 6(3), 218-227.
  6. da Cunha Varella, A.P., Griffin, E., Khashan, A. et al. Suicide rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 59, 1897–1905 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02617-1
  7. Diktaş Yerli, G. (2023). Sosyolojik bir olgu olarak intihar ve Türkiye’deki boyutu. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences (HOESS), 14(52), 664-686.
  8. DNİ (World Population Review) (2025). Suicide Rate by Country, https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/suicide-rate-by-country
  9. DSÖ (2025). Suicide Rates. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mental-health/suicide-rates
  10. Durkheim, É. (1995). İntihar: Bir toplumbilim incelemesi (Z. Zühre İlkgelen, Çev.). İstanbul: Pozitif Yayınları.
  11. Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (DSÖ). (2025). Suicide rates. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mental-health/suicide-rates
  12. Ekici, G., Savaş, H.A., & Çıtak, S. (2001). Tamamlanmış intiharlarda iki önemli risk etmeni: Fiziksel hastalığın varlığı ve yetersiz dozda psikiyatrik tedavi. Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni, 11(3), 168-173.
  13. El Hayek, S., Mubashir, A., & Arafat SMY (2023) Editorial: Current trends and challenges in the assessment of suicidal behavior: a psychometric approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry 14:1243062.
  14. Gibbs, J. P., & Martin, W. H. (1964). Social factors in suicide. American Sociological Review, 29(5), 647-657. https://doi.org/10.2307/2090267
  15. Kavaklı, M. (2023). Türkiye’de intiharın sosyo-ekonomik ve sosyo-psikolojik belirleyicileri: Düzey 2 için bir panel veri çözümlemesi. Bursa Uludağ Journal of Economy and Society, 42(1), 55-71.
  16. Kesal, E. (2013). Peri Gazozu. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları.
  17. Lantos, T., & Nyári, T.A. (2024). The impact of the first year of COVID-19 pandemic on suicides in a collection of 27 EU-related countries. Scientific Reports
  18. Olson, R. (2013). Suicide and stigma. Editorial. Centre for Suicide Prevention. https://www.suicideinfo.ca/local-resource
  19. Paugam, S. (1995). Önsöz: İntihar karşısında toplumbilimci. É. Durkheim, İntihar: Bir toplumbilim incelemesi (Z. Zühre İlkgelen, Çev., s. VII-XLVIII). İstanbul: Pozitif Yayınları. VII- XLVIII.
  20. Rosenberg, M. L., Davidson, L. E., Smith, J. C., Berman, A. L., Buzbee, H. Vd. (1988). Operational criteria for the determination of suicide. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 33(6), 1445-1456.
  21. Swingewood Alan (1998). Sosyolojik Düşüncenin Kısa Tarihi.(Çeviren: Osman Akınhay). Ankara: Bilim ve Sanat Yayınları.
  22. Topbaş, F. (2007). İşsizlik ve intihar ilişkisi: 1975-2005 VAR analizi. Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 2, 161-172.
  23. Tunalı, H., & Özkaya, S. (2016). Türkiye’de işsizlik-intihar ilişkisinin analizi. Kırklareli Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(2), 56-70.
  24. Turecki, G., & Brent, D. A. (2016). Suicide and suicidal behaviour. The Lancet, 387(10024), 1227-1239.
  25. TÜİK (2023) TÜİK Veri portalı https://data.tuik.gov.tr/

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>