Health Minister Reports High Rates of Depression in Iran

Hassan Hashemi, the Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, reported high rates of depression in Iran and addressed those he claims are "spreading despair in society," stating that pumping despair into the community for political motives is unfair. He added, "No nation has done this to itself." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Hashemi spoke at a meeting on Sunday, May 8, regarding the prevention of risky social behaviors focusing on suicide, stating that there are significant mental health issues in Iran that "unfortunately are denied by both the people and the officials." The Health Minister noted that "12 percent of our community suffers from depression, and this issue requires treatment." Hashemi also mentioned that regardless of how you define joy, discussions about mental disorders and the mental health of society must take place. He considered politicization to be a cause of neglecting real societal issues and expressed hope that such discussions would continue. According to this report, the Minister of Health identified some causes of suicide as depression, substance abuse, and domestic violence, stating that these causes need to be psychologically analyzed. In the same meeting, Dr. Ahmad Hajebi, head of the Mental Health Department of the Ministry of Health, stated that suicide is an acceptable health problem but its social dimensions must also be considered. According to the Mehr News Agency, he also mentioned that based on data, the rate of suicide attempts is higher among women, but the number of deaths from suicide is higher among men. He pointed out that unemployed individuals are more likely to commit suicide, followed by housewives. He also stated that the suicide rate in rural areas has reached 30 percent, while in urban areas it has reached 70 percent. The head of the Mental Health Department also noted the educational level of individuals who attempt suicide, indicating that the highest rates are among high school graduates, while the lowest rates are among those with master's degrees or higher. Hajebi added that until 2013, statistics showed that single individuals had higher suicide rates, but since then, the rate among married individuals has increased. He did not comment on the possible reasons for this issue. According to Mehr, the head of the Mental Health Department announced that the most common age for suicide attempts is between 15 and 24 years and added that school counselors can work on prevention efforts with the training provided by the Ministry of Health. The ISNA reported that currently, there is one health worker for every three thousand people, who is "aware of the health status of families." He announced that 24 million people are covered by Iran's health network. No statistics have been released by the Iranian Ministry of Health regarding the number of individuals who committed suicide last year. However, according to a report from August 26, 2014, by the Mashregh newspaper, citing the head of the Legal Medicine Organization, 4,055 people died by suicide in Iran last year. Ahmad Shojaei attributed many social harms in Iran to addiction, adding that 55 percent of divorces in the country are due to addiction. The World Health Organization reported that the number of suicides worldwide exceeds 800,000, and in 2014, 42,773 people committed suicide in the United States. In this context, Iran ranks among the "most depressed countries in the world."