The number of suicides in Drenthe has increased by almost a quarter in 2022. Sixty people took their own lives prematurely, compared to 49 a year earlier. This is evident from figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
In Drenthe, the number of suicides rose the most in percentage terms of all provinces (22 percent). In 2020 and 2021 there was a slight decrease in the figures. According to Statistics Netherlands, 275 residents of Drenthe have taken their own lives since 2018.
In Groningen, Utrecht, North Holland and Zeeland, the number even decreased. Suicides increased in all other provinces and 54 more cases were registered nationwide in 2022 than a year earlier, an increase of three percent.
Nationally, more than two thirds of the victims are men (1305 against 601). People between the ages of 50 and 59 commit suicide most often.
“Middle-aged men between 40 and 70 years old are a risk group,” says Marcel van Kanten. He is project leader of 113 Suicide Prevention. “You see it in all provinces, but the further you get from the Randstad, the more suicides you see in this age category.”
The group is so vulnerable because the Netherlands looked very different in their youth. “Society was very bad then – and especially among men – if you have problems, you solve it yourself. You also saw that the vocabulary of men was much less than that of women,” says Van Kanten. “They used fewer words. These men also taught their sons that you shouldn’t whine, you’re a sissy when you talk about feelings. Etc. etc.”
So now men are part of a different society. “One group of men manages to get used to it, the others don’t. They get stressed and don’t talk and sometimes see no way out.
It is a group that 113 Suicide Prevention has a lot of concerns about and also one of the most difficult groups to reach. “It continues to look for reaching this group. But also how to reach them.”
According to Van Kanten you see many farmers in Drenthe who are struggling with suicidal thoughts or psychological problems and is therefore pleased that 113 Suicide Prevention is working together with LTO, for example. The campaign focuses on men, but the environment is also important for recognizing suicidal thoughts in others. “A conversation can already help.”