Suicide in Iran is believed to be a growing concern in recent years. According to statistics most of the people who commit suicide are between the ages of 15 and 35.
Economic problems, mental illnesses, cultural obligations, political issues, and social pressures are the major factors for suicide commission in Iran.
Per Iranian Legal Medicine Organization statistics are classified to avoid negative atmosphere.
Definitions
The word "suicide" in Persian dictionaries like Moeen, Dehkhoda, and Amid, has been defined as "killing self by any means". The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use of the word "suicide" by Walter Charleton in 1651. Apparently the word suicide in French was used by Pierre Desfontaines for the first time. Later, this word was accepted by the French Academy of Sciences. Ali EslamiNasab, considers the combination of two Latin words sui (self=) and cide (killing=Persian:کُشتن) a correct term for suicide (self-killing=Persian: خودکشی khudkushi). The concept of suicide in the Moaser Persian Dictionary is defined as "the intentional termination of life by one's own intention and own hands".
The first sociological analysis of suicide has been put forward by the French sociologist, Émile Durkheim. He states in his 1897 book suicide that "suicide is any type of death which is a direct or indirect cause of the victim's own positive or negative acts that he/she was aware of in advance". Durkheim categorized suicides into the following four types all of which are related to the relationship of the individual to society: 1- Egoistic suicide that is the cause of individualism and the separation from the society; 2- Altruistic suicide that occurs when the individual has a deep attachment to the society; 3- Anomic suicide which is the cause of anomie and lawlessness in the society; and 4- Fatalistic suicide that occurs when the wills, emotions and incentives of the members of the society is under the restrict control of the society.
In the late 19th century, Sigmund Freud was the first to review suicide from a psychological point of view. He considered suicide as "the ultimate anger towards self caused by the unconscious". Freud, divided human instincts into two categories: death instinct (Thanatos) and life instinct (Eros). He believed that the death instinct starts immediately after birth and intends to return in the future. This instinct is the cause of extinction, grudge, and termination of generation (reproduction). On the other hand, the life instinct is the cause of friendship, love, and reproduction. Gradually, Freud developed his theory of death instinct, which is in opposition to libido.
Erwin Stengel is the first person to differentiate between suicide and suicide intention from a psychological point of view. After some research, he dedicated an independent branch of psychology to the suicide intention. Research has suggested that unlike suicide the intention of suicide has other goals than just simple "self destruction". Kayral has mentioned the following four goals of suicide intention: 1- an invitation or asking for help and support; 2- a reaction to a disaster or an unexpected catastrophe; 3- abusing or threatening of others; and 4- an escape from a harsh situation. According to Eslaminasab, the following five behaviors of suicide ideation, threatening to commit suicide, suicide gesture (harming oneself), suicide attempt, and death by suicide, are categorized under suicidal behavior.
The term "suicidology" became prevalent in the 1960s. It was first used in 1929 by the Dutch scientist, W. A. Bonger. Suicidology is the scientific study of suicide and its different aspects.
Statistics
Suicide in Iran is believed to be a growing concern over recent years. According to World Health Organization in 2014 the suicide rate of Iran was 5.3 in every 100,000 people. In that year, the rate of suicide based on gender was 3.6 for women and 7 for men. Seasonally, most suicides occurred in summer with the rate of 35.2% of all suicides; 13% higher than any other season. Based on a meta-analytical research, in Iran, the rate of non-fatal and fatal suicide attempts among married couples is higher than other groups. The statistics provided by the Medical Jurisprudence Organization of Iran show that 54% of suicides ending in death occurred among people under 30 years of age and that people who lived in the cities had statistically higher rates of suicides than people living in rural areas.