Summary: A few years back, Sri Lankan government banned the use of pesticides in farming. This also led to a significant drop in suicide attempts in the nation. In Sri Lanka, people often used pesticides for suicide. Researchers say this shows a simple rule. Make deadly means harder to reach, and suicide rates can fall in any nation, including the US.
Reports from Sri Lanka suggest that banning some of the deadliest pesticides led to an almost 50% drop in suicides there. This matters for the US too. It shows that cutting access to deadly means can help.
WHO data shows that about 700,000 people die by suicide each year. The worrying part is that most attempts are made by young adults aged 15-29. Suicide rates run higher in poor and middle-income nations. But suicide is not rare in rich countries like the US.
Also, the number of suicide deaths does not show the number of attempts. Each year, several million people around the world try to end their lives. Luckily, most people survive an attempt. Some of them will try more than once.
In the US, CDC data shows that each year more than three million people plan suicide. About 1.2 million attempt it. Suicide is among the top 10 causes of death in adults younger than 65 years. Thanks to strong medical care in the US, most people survive. That leaves about 46,000 deaths a year. Poison is one of the most common ways people attempt suicide. It seems that almost 90% of all attempts use toxic substances.
Luckily, not all poisons are equal. With some toxins or drugs, the survival rate is fairly high. For example, in the US, many people attempt suicide with large doses of Tylenol or sleeping pills. These drugs cause very few deaths compared to pesticides. Guns are the opposite. The death rate is very high in suicide attempts with firearms.
In the US, few people use pesticides to attempt suicide. Pesticides appear to be used more in poor and developing nations, where they are easy to get. But guns are everywhere in the US, and they are fairly easy to buy.
So when it comes to how a suicide attempt ends, how deadly the method is matters. There is one more thing to know. Most suicides are snap decisions. Many survivors say they made the choice within the last 24 hours. In fact, many say they decided on the spot, often in a few minutes.
This means people who attempt suicide tend to grab whatever is close at hand. It also means that cutting access to certain deadly means can significantly cut suicide attempts and deaths. Say a person cannot reach highly toxic pesticides or firearms. That person is more likely to reach for something like sleeping pills.
The survey in Sri Lanka proves the point. One of the best ways to cut suicide rates is to put deadly means out of reach. And the Sri Lankan study is not the first to show it. Banning highly deadly means, or putting them out of reach, can help cut deaths from suicide attempts.
Of course, that does not mean banning pesticides would help in the US. People here rarely use them to attempt suicide. Instead, the focus must be on cutting access to the other common means used here.
Frequently asked questions
Did banning pesticides reduce suicide in Sri Lanka?
Yes. Pesticides were a common means of suicide in Sri Lanka. Reports show that banning some of the deadliest ones was followed by an almost 50% drop in suicides. The result backs a simple idea. When the deadliest means are harder to reach, fewer suicide attempts end in death.
Why does reducing access to lethal means prevent suicide?
Many suicide attempts are snap decisions. Survivors often say they made the choice within the last 24 hours, and some within minutes. In that moment, people tend to use whatever is nearby. If highly toxic pesticides or firearms are out of reach, a person is more likely to turn to something far less deadly. Then more people survive.
What lessons can the US learn from Sri Lanka’s pesticide ban?
Pesticides are rarely used in suicide attempts in the US, so banning them would do little here. The lesson is the rule itself. Cut access to the deadliest means that are common where you live. In the US, firearms are everywhere and easy to buy. Suicide attempts with them carry a very high death rate.
How many people die by suicide each year?
WHO data show about 700,000 suicide deaths worldwide each year. Most attempts are made by young adults aged 15 to 29. In the US, CDC data show that more than three million people plan suicide each year. About 1.2 million attempt it and about 46,000 die. Suicide is among the top 10 causes of death in adults under 65.
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Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
