Suicidal Behavior in Palestine: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention

The number of suicides reported to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank reached 10 actual suicides leading to death during 2021, with an incidence rate of 0.4 per 100,000 populations. Each actual case of suicide corresponds to about 21 suicide attempts, and 209 attempts were monitored, with an incidence rate of 7.4 per 100,000 in the West Bank in 2021. In Palestine, suicide is a sensitive topic that is highly stigmatized; hence, a few number of studies were conducted on the subject and the data about the prevalence does not reflect the actual rates of suicide. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the risk factors of suicide and develop an understanding of surveillance systems for self-harm, availability of national statistics, existing opportunities and challenges for suicide prevention in Palestine.