Seasonality of Suicide in Jhenaidah District, Bangladesh, 2011-2018

Abstract

Suicide is a serious public and social health problem in Bangladesh. The seasonal variance in suicide is an under-researched area in Bangladesh which needs attention due to the nature of its prevalence. This article describes the seasonal variation of suicide for a Bangladeshi district named Jhenaidah for the 2011-2018 period. Suicide data was obtained from the Societies for Voluntary Activities (SOVA), who is knowingly the only non-government organization (NGO) working to prevent suicide in the area. In this paper, descriptive analysis was undertaken. A total of 2,786 suicides occurred in the Jhenaidah district across the study period. Data is aggregated by sex and month. The highest average overall suicide rates occurred during the hot, summer monsoon period, ranging from April to September (≥ 8.7% per month for the study period). This period represents the time when Bangladeshis experience the highest average temperatures around +28.8oC. The incidence of suicide is reported to be higher during summer for both the sexes, though males deviated with a high incidence in winter too. Females still commit more suicide than men, but the gap is narrowing gradually. As an important variable, seasonality may contribute significantly to the explanations of the complex phenomenon of suicide. This study not only contributes to the existing knowledge but also paves the way to undertake further research that can contextualize the relationship between suicide and seasonality in Bangladesh.