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From the end of the 1980s, the Hungarian suicide rate, which had been until that point the highest in the world for decades, has decreased drastically. The reason behind this decrease was probably due to the changes in numerous and often interlinked risk factors. Studies on this topic have mostly ignored to interrogate to what extent the change of the population composition, for example the improvement of educational level, contributed to the decrease of the rate in the given period? Our aim was to assess the contribution of changes in some sociodemographic factors to the decrease of the suicide rate in Hungary. During the analysis, data from 1990 were compared with data from 2011. For the statistical calculations, the method of "Standardization and Decomposition (SDA)" was used, which according to our best knowledge, has not yet been applied in Hungarian suicide studies. The results show that the improvement of educational level helped to decrease the rate for men by about a third, while for women only by about a tenth. However, the benefit of the improvement in educational attainment during the period investigated was significantly offset by the changes primarily in marital status (the ratios of unmarried and divorced subjects increased for both genders) and in age distribution (the ratio of the elderly persons increased for both genders). The results of our study emphasise the inverse relationship between suicide and educational level and support the hypothesis that we can regard educational policy as indirect health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective.The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between increasing utilization of antidepressants and lithium, and suicide rate of persons less than 20 years of age in Hungary, with particular regard to seasonal patterns.Methods.Time trend analysis was carried out to determine the correlation between antidepressant and lithium prescription patterns in Hungarian persons under age of 20 years as well as seasonal variations within the study period from January 1998 to December 2006.Results.There was a significant correlation (P= 0.03) between the eight-fold increase in antidepressant + lithium prescriptions and decreasing suicides in young Hungarian people under 20 years of age within the study period. Lithium, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the group of “other antidepressant drugs” rather than nonselective monoamine reuptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors were responsible for this association. No significant association could be drawn from seasonal variation with boys (P= 0.964), girls (P= 0.140), or both genders (P= 0.997).Limitation.Ecological study design.Conclusion.Our findings are in good agreement with large-scale ecological studies showing that the beneficial effect of more widely used antidepressants at a given point could appear on the level of suicide rate of the general population even among patients under the age of 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background During the last few years, many countries in Europe suffered from a severe economic crisis which resulted in high unemployment rates. In this frame, the possible relationship between unemployment rate and suicidal rates at the level of the general population has been debated recently. Material and methods The official data concerning completed suicides and unemployment rates from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office for the years 2000-2011 were used. The percentage of changes from the previous year in the unemployment rate and the suicidal rates concerning both the general and the unemployed populations was calculated. Pearson correlation coefficient between the change in suicidal rates and change in unemployment rates was calculated both for the same year as well as after 1-6 years. Results The correlations between the unemployment rate and suicide rates were strongly negative both for the general and for the unemployed populations (-0.65 and -0.55, respectively). The correlation of unemployment change with suicidality change after 1-6 years gave a peak strong positive correlation at 5 years for the general population (0.78). At 4 years after the index year, there is a peak correlation with a moderate value for the unemployed population (0.47) and a similar moderate value for the general population (0.46). Discussion The current findings from Hungary suggest that unemployment might be associated with suicidality in the general population only after 3-5 years. It is possible that the distressing environment of the economic crisis increases suicidality in the general population rather than specifically in unemployed people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: In the last century Hungary had astonishingly high suicide rates characterized by marked regional within-country inequalities, a spatial pattern which has been quite stable over time. Aims: To explain the above phenomenon at the level of micro-regions (n=175) in the period between 2005 and 2011. Methods: Our dependent variable was the age and gender standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for suicide while explanatory variables were factors which are supposed to influence suicide risk, such as measures of religious and political integration, travel time accessibility of psychiatric services, alcohol consumption, unemployment and disability pensionery. When applying the ordinary least squared regression model, the residuals were found to be spatially autocorrelated, which indicates the violation of the assumption on the independence of error terms and – accordingly – the necessity of application of a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model to handle this problem. According to our calculations the SARlag model was a better way (versus the SARerr model) of addressing the problem of spatial autocorrelation, furthermore its substantive meaning is more convenient. Results: SMR was significantly associated with the “political integration” variable in a negative and with “lack of religious integration” and “disability pensionery” variables in a positive manner. Associations were not significant for the remaining explanatory variables. Limitations: Several important psychiatric variables were not available at the level of micro-regions. We conducted our analysis on aggregate data. Conclusion: Our results may draw attention to the relevance and abiding validity of the classic Durkheimian suicide risk factors – such as lack of social integration – apropos of the spatial pattern of Hungarian suicides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Annual suicide rates of Hungary were unexpectedly high in the previous century. In our narrative review, we try to depict, with presentation of the raw data, the main descriptive epidemiological features of the Hungarian suicide scene of the past decades. Accordingly, we present the annual suicide rates of the period mentioned and also data on how they varied by gender, age, urban vs. rural living, seasons, marital status, etc. Furthermore, the overview of trends of other factors that may have influenced suicidal behavior (e.g., alcohol and tobacco consumption, antidepressant prescription, unemployment rate) in the past decades is appended as well. Based on raw data and also on results of the relevant papers of Hungarian suicidology we tried to explain the observable trends of the Hungarian suicide rate. Eventually, we discuss the results, the possibilities, and the future tasks of suicide prevention in Hungary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about economic crisis and its impact on positive association between suicide and unemployment. Two theories such as the causal theory and the selection theory explain the association between suicide and unemployment. The two theories concluded that hypothesis that during economic booms, suicide rate (SR) of the unemployed population is higher than it is during times of recession.

Hungary was among the few countries where suicidality increased in the first year of the COVID pandemic. In this study, we sought to investigate whether that elevated suicide mortality had changed by 2021, when the number of fatalities due to COVID-19 was much higher than in 2020. We used an interrupted time-series analysis with (quasi-) Poisson regression, controlling for linear trend and seasonal effects, to estimate the effect of the pandemic on the suicide rates of various subpopulations. For both pandemic years the changes in risk of suicide were compared to the period between 2015 and 2019. Although the pandemic had a significant adverse effect on suicidality in 2020 in the Hungarian total population and in males, by 2021 this effect had vanished. In the total population, those aged 25 years and older had elevated suicidality in 2020 but neither age group in the total population had elevated suicidality in 2021. In the total population, increased risks of suicide death could be observed among residents of the capital city (in 2020 and 2021), villages (in 2020), and - in terms of regions - "Central Hungary" (in 2020 and 2021). Only the risk of violent suicides was significantly higher for both the total and male populations (and only in 2020). We used non-individual level data. The increased suicidality in 2020 had abated by 2021. In the paper, we discuss the possible explanations for our findings. • It was feared that national suicide rates would increase during COVID-19 pandemic. • In the majority of countries the number of suicides was not higher than expected. • Hungary was among the few countries where suicidality increased in 2020. • We found that the increased suicidality of 2020 had abated by 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 may unfavourably affect the mental health of individuals in various ways. Accordingly, the concern has been raised that national suicide rates will increase in the wake of the outbreak of the pandemic. In the current study, we tested this conjecture in three age groups (<25; 25–64; ≥65) of the Hungarian total population and the male and female populations. In addition, we assessed whether the pandemic had different effects on counts of suicides committed by violent or non-violent methods. Finally, by comparing the monthly suicide rates in 2020 and the corresponding monthly rates in 2019, we also investigated the "pulling together" hypothesis that postulates that a temporary decrease in suicides may occur after large-scale catastrophic events. With regard to the total population only the suicide counts of individuals aged 25–64 rose significantly (p < 0.05) during the COVID months of 2020. Similar patterns, but at lower levels of significance (0.05 < p < 0.1), were found in those members of the total population aged 65 or older and among males aged between 25 and 64. Furthermore, we found that the number of violent suicides increased significantly (p < 0.05) during the COVID months. Finally, our results have not confirmed the existence of a "pulling together" phenomenon in association with the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary. We used non-individual level data and were therefore unable to control suicide risk factors at the level of individuals. The number of suicides rose significantly in some subgroups of the Hungarian population during the COVID months of 2020. • COVID-19 has deleterious effects on mental health. • There are concerns that suicide rates will also increase during the pandemic. • We tested the possible effects of COVID-19 on suicidality in Hungary. • The suicide counts of subjects aged 25–64 rose significantly. • The number of violent suicides also increased significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent decades, a series of ecological studies from various countries have attempted to reveal whether there is an association between trace amounts of lithium in drinking water and suicide mortality. With some notable exceptions, results have indicated that there is an inverse association between these two variables. Since Hungary had extremely high rates of suicide with a persistent spatial pattern, we consider that our country is ideal to investigate this research question.Methods: We carried out our research on Hungarian data at the level of districts (n = 197). The dependent variable was the age- and gender-standardized mortality ratio for suicide (sSMR). Our main explanatory variable was the tap water lithium level (Li) from public drinking water supply systems using their own water source (n = 1 325). Those data, which give full national coverage, were aggregated to the level of districts. Confounding factors were religiosity, alcohol consumption and income. Various regression models were used for statistical calculations.Results: Findings from our most appropriate regression model - adjusted for relevant confounding variables and able to handle spatial autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity - suggest a significant (p < 0.05) and a trend-like (p < 0.1) negative association between Li and sSMR in the total population and among males, respectively. However, such an association was not found between these two variables among females.Conclusion: In line with the majority of findings from other countries, our results indicate that the intake of lithium with drinking water may have a gender-dependent suicide-protective effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Related to emotion regulation and mental health, adult attachment and affective temperaments are relevant research topics of contemporary psychiatry and clinical psychology. However, to date, only one study investigated the relationship between these two constructs. Thus, we aimed to further reveal adult attachment's association with affective temperaments.Methods: Affective temperament and adult attachment dimensions of 1469 Hungarian university students were assessed with self-report measures (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego autoquestionnaire and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, respectively). Age and measured variables were compared between genders with ANOVAs. Associations between attachment dimensions and affective temperaments were examined with Pearson's correlations and partial correlations; the moderation effect of age and gender on these relationships was tested with PROCESS macro. Using Fisher r-to-z transformation, we also compared our results with the findings of the previous study. Cohen's ds were used to report effect size and Cronbach's alphas were computed as indices of internal reliability.Results: Significant correlations were found between attachment dimensions and affective temperaments. Correlations were especially robust between attachment anxiety and depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperaments. Contrasted with the results of the previous study, hyperthymic temperament was negatively related to attachment avoidance and anxious temperament was significantly more strongly correlated with attachment anxiety in our study.Limitations: We used a previous version of the adult attachment measure. Our sample differed from the target sample in several ways. Participants were not screened for mental disorders.Conclusions: Findings highlight that adult attachment dimensions are significantly associated with affective temperaments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]