A happy Finnish for a country that was once a suicide hot spot
VA NT AA, FINLAND: When the UN crowned Finland the world’s happiest nation last month for the second year running, there were still quite a few eyebrows raised. How could this Nordic country, better known for its harsh weather and high suicide rate, be the world’s happiest?
In 1990, statistics indicated that Finland’s suicide rate was the second highest in the world, behind Hungary.
But Timo Partonen at Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare, warns against the tendency to blame the problem on Finland’s dark, cold climate. “If you are depressed in any place in the world, you bear a similar risk of suicide,” Partonen argued.
Suicides in Finland have now fallen to less than half of 1990 levels - thanks largely to a decade-long public health drive to improve treatment and support for those at risk, as well as to make media reporting of the issue more responsible.
These days, it is also much more socially acceptable for Finns, especially men, to open up about their feelings, says Partonen.
“Now it’s easier to talk about it if you are depressed for example, and it’s easier to get treated and have adequate treatment as well.”
According to the World Health Organization, Finland’s suicide rate is now 22nd highest in the world, lower than the US and one spot higher than Australia.
Finland’s residents today enjoy a high quality of life, security and public services, with rates of inequality and poverty among the lowest of all OECD countries.