Iranian authorities failing to tackle suicide crisis

Suicide is not a phenomenon emerging anew. It exists in different countries, including Iran. Nonetheless, the news related to suicides in the western Iranian province of Ilam has been alarming. It has been reported that several students have committed suicide in one district, while in another some workers took their own lives — all within a brief timespan.
In the southern region of Ilam province lies Abdanan, a city with a population of about 50,000. Over the course of less than two months, it has been deeply affected by the tragic suicides of five students, both male and female. Strikingly, four of the students resided in the same neighborhood, attended the same school, belonged to the same age group and chose the same method to take their own lives. This distressing series of events has instilled a sense of terror and heightened anxiety within the community.
Concerns about the mental well-being of other students in the same school have intensified, coupled with a prevailing fear that similar incidents may occur in the coming days and weeks. Indeed, this is not an isolated occurrence in Abdanan, as the city experienced more than 120 suicides in the preceding year. Additionally, between the months of April and October, 11 other students took their own lives.
Despite the phenomenon getting worse, Ali Darwishi, the director of education in the province, has attempted to downplay its impact. His argument centers on the fact that the suicides did not take place within school premises and that some of the female students involved had already completed secondary school. He dismissed claims about a high number of suicides in the region as untrue.
The actual reasons behind the suicides of female students in this city — a prominent participant in the public protests during the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising in the fall of 2022 — remain shrouded in mystery. However, it seems that the roots of this phenomenon may be attributed to various causes. Among these, the most significant are the generational conflict between younger and older individuals, the desire of certain girls to lead more liberal lives amid opposition from conservative families, and familial issues and pressures related to academic performance and the fear of falling short.
Moreover, the potential influence of online games such as Blue Whale and Mary, both known for being bloody, cannot be overlooked. This is in addition to what could be called “suicide contagion.” However, none of these causes were apparent in the remarks of the victims’ families. What is certain is that there are issues related to the mental health of the students who committed suicide.
Last week, two employees at a Chavar district petrochemical facility attempted suicide as a protest after they were fired. There have been at least six suicides at the same plant in less than two years. Workers at this facility have consistently protested against dismissals, salary cuts, poor living conditions and the non-extension or reduction of their contract durations. Unfortunately, the authorities not only ignored their demands, but in 2018 the Revolutionary Court in the province sentenced 15 protesting workers from the facility to a total of 15 years in prison and 1,100 lashes on charges of disturbing public order.
Furthermore, following the first suicide by a worker, the company failed not only to fulfill its promises but also took measures against some of the protesting workers by barring their entry to the company’s premises and terminating their employment. Despite the fact that the most recent two suicide attempts occurred within the facility, the petrochemical company’s public relations department refuted any connection between the suicides and the facility.

What is certain is that there are issues related to the mental health of the students who committed suicide.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami

The company denied terminating any worker, asserting that the two individuals were associated with a contracting company rather than being directly employed. In essence, the company's statement revealed a fundamental issue: faced with a significant workforce and high unemployment in the province, facility managers opt to engage unemployed youth through contractors, offering them temporary contracts and minimal salaries. Once their contracts expire, their services are terminated and new workers are hired — a strategy aimed at circumventing the responsibilities associated with permanent employment contracts.
The western provinces of Iran, spearheaded by Ilam, surpass other regions in terms of suicide rates. Sociologist Ali Moussa-Nejad highlights that Ilam, which ranks among the top three provinces in terms of the highest extreme poverty rates, has consistently held the lead in suicide rates for nearly three decades.
Official figures, though widely believed to be significantly lower than the actual numbers, indicate that the suicide rate in Iran between 2016 and 2020 was 5.1 cases per 100,000 people. However, this figure increased to 7.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2022. Hamid Pervi, vice president of the Scientific Society for Suicide Prevention, revealed that the suicide rate in Ilam has soared to 17.3 cases per 100,000 people — significantly higher than the national average and an alarming statistic.
Rather than addressing the root causes of suicide and working to eliminate or mitigate the phenomenon, the authorities have, as is customary, opted to conceal the issue and attempted to downplay or manipulate the statistics. This pattern mirrors the approach taken toward other societal problems, such as divorce, addiction and illicit relationships, with the additional imposition of censorship on discussing these matters in the media.
Journalists covering these social phenomena find themselves subjected to arrest on various charges, including disturbing public peace, disseminating false information and risking the psychological security of citizens. This suppression has, unfortunately, contributed to an escalation of the problem, leading to an increase in the number of suicide cases — a worrisome trend, as highlighted by Hassan Mousavi Chelak, the head of the Iran Association of Social Workers. He emphasized a significant gap between the officially recorded figures and the actual number of suicides.
Suicide is no longer confined to a specific demographic in Iran. Recent reports highlight instances of young men and women, who were released shortly after participating in the protests the previous year, taking their own lives. Disturbingly, there have been reports of 13 doctors in the specialization stage of their training succumbing to suicide within a single year, illustrating the pervasive nature of this issue across various segments of society.
Whereas the majority of suicides worldwide occur in the 18 to 35 age group, Iran is witnessing cases of children as young as 15 taking their own lives — a distressing trend that raises serious concerns. However, the responses from the authorities indicate a lack of seriousness in addressing this issue. It is likely that their underestimation stems from the regime’s fear of exposing its incompetence and failure to effectively address complex social issues and challenges.

• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is the founder and president of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah).
X: @mohalsulami