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To: maceng2 who wrote (801)	6/26/2005 4:25:57 AM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1417

Russian suicide rate on rise due to economy CTV.ca News Staff ctv.ca There's a terrible epidemic sweeping across Russia. A skyrocketing suicide rate has put it in the dubious position of being the country with the second-highest suicide rate in the world, right after Lithuania. More than 50,000 Russians commit suicide each year and another 250,000 attempt it. Statistics like these were unheard of in the Soviet era. Thirty-three-year-old Natalia says there's a specific date her depression began -- August 17, 1998. It was on that day Russia was plunged into an economic crisis when the government devalued the ruble. The move sent tremors to stock markets around the world, and Natalia's husband lost his job. "He had been a top manager at an appliance store, but then he couldn't climb his way back up again," she said. "He worried about it a lot, and started drinking and became aggressive." Natalia became desperate and hopeless. One day, she plunged a kitchen knife into her own chest. She survived the suicide attempt after being rushed to a hospital emergency room. Natalia is not alone. Russia's suicide rate has jumped 150 per cent since the breakup of the Soviet Union. New research suggests the problem stems from social upheaval. "Russia has been through tremendous, massive change for which the society was not prepared," said Boris Polozhy of the Serbsky Psychiatric Institute. "It happened so fast and so radically, and people weren't able to deal with the destruction of their ideals, their values." Starting in 1991, Russia has been facing the collapse of communism. That has meant the loss of people's savings, their jobs, and even their sense of security. It all seems to have taken a toll on the nation's psyche. Russia's suicide rate is now almost double the critical limit set by the World Health Organization. Tatiana Akimova, who works at an anonymous suicide helpline, says those affected are the ones who have lost their place in society. "It's hard for them to find a foothold. They're not used to it and can't adapt to this new life. So they want to leave it," Akimova said. Fortunately, Natalia has been able to move on. She's currently in the process of moving out of her old, unhappy home and moving on with her life. Population falling The high suicide rate is part of a decline in Russia's population. The world's geographically largest country had 149 million citizens a decade ago. That is now down to 144 million. An average Russian male lives to 59; a woman to 72. In Canada, those numbers are 77 and 82 respectively. According to the country's official statistics agency, the population decline is equivalent to 100 people dying per hour. The United Nations warns Russia's population could fall by up to one-third by the middle of the century. Part of the problem is a historically low birthrate and many lifestyle-related issues that are considered manageable in the West. For example, some global agencies like the World Health Organization and the UN have urged the Russian government to raise the price of alcohol and make seatbelt use mandatory. While large-scale immigration might help, the issue is considered politically taboo in Russia. With a report from CTV's Ellen Pinchuk