Austerity is now the leading cause of suicides in the country, says Ekathemerini in reporting on the latest such casualty:
A 60-year-old man died on Friday morning after reportedly throwing himself off a balcony in Galatsi, north of Athens city center, Skai TV reported.
According to initial reports, the man had been served an eviction order earlier in the day.
There has been a rise in suicides in recent months, the majority of which are attributed to the ongoing recession.
Marianna Tsatsou of Greek Reporter has details on yet another austerity suicide:
Yet another casualty in the distressing wave of suicides that have swept through Greece as a result of the crisis has been reported. Due to financial problems, a young sailor, aged 31, killed himself a couple of days ago on the island of Andros.
According to cyclades24.gr, the deceased sailor hanged himself, unable to deal with crisis and the fact that he had recently lost his job.
The 31-year-old was engaged. His funeral was held on Thursday, June 28th, on Andros and the local society expressed its sadness.
UPDATE: Some telling numbers, reported by Capital.gr:
Latest statistics show an 18 percent rise in the number of suicides in 2010. In 2011, Athens alone saw a 25 percent increase over the previous year. The crisis has also driven more Greeks to use anti-depressants or seek psychiatric care.
But there’s another solution: Part yourself out
From EUobserver, a report on an only slightly less drastic step being taken by a growing number of Europe’s poor as the stranglehold of austerity intensifies:
An increasing number of poverty-stricken families in Europe are putting up their organs for sale, reports the New York Times. Adverts for organs, such as kidneys, are popping up in Spain, Italy, Greece and Russia. “Organ trafficking is a growth industry,” said Jonathan Ratel, a European Union special prosecutor.
Call it suicide on the installment plan.
