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Eight Italians commit suicide every month due to economic crisis: study

19 October 2012 00:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 110 Italians were led to commit suicide in 2012 by the ongoing economic crisis, the national largest farm association Coldiretti said on Thursday, APA reports.

According to a study of the association conducted on the basis of figures released by the Italian Society of Psychiatry, Italy has experienced over eight suicides per month on average this month.

"It is a tragedy affecting both workers and employers who do not see any job prospects anymore and are distressed by their future and that of their families," Coldiretti said in a statement.

"Such extreme behaviors reflect a situation of economic hardship affecting a large number of families and businesses, which is often exacerbated by credit crunch," the report added.

According to a study released earlier this week by business information provider Cribis D&B, nearly 9,000 companies have been forced to close since the beginning of 2012 in a recession-hit country that counts nearly three million people without a job.

On Thursday, a man set himself on fire in front of the official residence of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in Rome.

The man, reportedly a 55-year-old father who had just lost his job, received swift medical assistance and was rushed to hospital.

According to local media, his life was not in danger even though he suffered many burns.