When the UN crowned Finland the world´s happiest nation last month for the second year running, there were still quite a few eyebrows raised. How could this Nordic country, better known for its harsh weather and high suicide rate, be the world´s happiest? Although international comparisons are imperfect due to holes in the data, in 1990 official statistics did indeed indicate that Finland´s suicide rate was the second highest in the world, behind Hungary. “If you are depressed in any place in the world, you bear a similar risk of suicide,” Partonen told AFP. That is thanks largely to a decade-long public health drive to improve treatment and support for those at risk, as well as to make media reporting of the issue more responsible.

Source: Pakistan Today April 13, 2019 06:04 UTC