"The number of suicides is simply rising constantly, they have literally become a trend of our times.
A total of 188 cases were reported in the capital in 2007," Prague police spokeswoman Eva Miklikova told Saturday's issue of the paper. She added that it had been the fourth highest suicide rate in the past few years. The highest (213 cases) was reported in 2005. Psychologist Jeronym Klimes pointed out that neurotic people often move from villages to Prague where they can be more anonymous. "When they decide to commit suicide, they will do it here," he added. One of the most frequent suicide methods is jumping from a high building or Verdict on Prague Castle, cathedral distraint takes effect ...
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Life on a motorway ... a bridge, MfD says. In the past the Nusle bridge, the highest bridge in Prague situated 42.5 metres above the Nusle valley, became ill-fame for attracting a high number of suicide-makers. Some 300 people have killed themselves by jumping from the bridge. However, at present the bridge is quite safe as high metal protective barriers were placed on both sides last summer. Since then no one has jumped from the bridge, the paper adds. Nevertheless, people who want to end their life have chosen other high spots, for instance the Vysehrad hill close to the the city centre. Other frequent suicide methods in Prague are poisoning by medicines, hanging, shooting and jumping under a train or metro train, Prague emergency service director Zdenek Schwarz told the daily. The paper also writes that the number of Czechs who commit suicide over existential, respectively financial troubles has been rising in the past few years. Three times more men than women kill themselves. Men more often choose drastic suicide methods like jumping under a train, while women prefer an overdose by medicaments and "demonstrative" suicide attempts to draw attention of other people, the paper says. Though the suicide rate in Prague is high, amounting to 14.8 per 100,000 inhabitants on average a year, it is still under the national average of 15.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, MfD writes.
(Ceske Noviny)
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