Determinants of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior, Economic Theories of Suicidal Behavior and the Economics of Prevention

Suicide has long history dating back to the earliest historical records of humankind. Currently, the number of people committing suicide around the world is not negligible. In 2010, almost one million people committed suicide, which corresponds to a mortality rate of 16 per 100,000 people. There are also significant numbers of suicide attempts for every completed suicide especially for young people. The economics literature documents a substantial cost of suicide. These cost includes ambulance services, hospitalization, autopsy services and other healthcare and mental health services for the individual who dies as well as his family members, friends and significant others. Additional economic costs include the value of life lost, and productivity loss. Economists have started to study suicide, including its economic determinants and the economic evaluation of suicide prevention programs. In this chapter, we provide a brief review of these two areas. The lessons learned directions for further research are highlighted in the chapter