Journal article
Recalculating the economic cost of suicide
Death studies, v 31(4), pp 351-361
Apr 2007
PMID: 17378112
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
These authors argue that estimates of the net economic cost of suicide should go beyond accounting for direct medical costs and indirect costs from loss of earnings by those who commit suicide. There are potential savings from: (a) not having to treat the depressive and other psychiatric disorders of those who kill themselves; (b) avoidance of pension, social security and nursing home care costs; and (c) assisted-suicide. By combining all of these costs and savings, it is concluded that the net economic cost of the 30,906 completed suicides in 1990 entailed an economic gain for the society of roughly $5.07 billion in year--2005 dollars. This calculation does not include estimated costs due to the psychological pain and suffering of the survivors. Suicide should be prevented based on humane considerations, not on the economic cost involved.
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Details
- Title
- Recalculating the economic cost of suicide
- Creators
- Bijou Yang - Drexel UniversityDavid Lester - Blackwood
- Publication Details
- Death studies, v 31(4), pp 351-361
- Publisher
- Taylor and Francis
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Economics (School of Economics)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000245314900004
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-33847371238
- Other Identifier
- 991019339696404721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary
- Social Issues
- Social Sciences, Biomedical