Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis

Suicide rate in Hungary (1950-2005), 1983: 45.3 suicides per 100,000 people, it was the second highest rate (after Lithuania, 1995: 45.6^[1]) in recorded human history.

The Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis proposes to link genetic ties originating among Finno-Ugric cultures and ethnicities to high rate of suicide, claiming an allele common among them is responsible.

Mari and Udmurts have been found to have a three times higher suicide rate than Finns and Hungarians. It has been thus theorized that such a possible allele may have arisen in those populations.

However, contrary to the hypothesis, available contemporary (1990–1994) suicide rates were uniformly negatively associated with these ancestry proportions. The findings of this first test outside Europe are therefore conflicting. A proposal based on the geographical study approach is offered to further the progress of investigations into the genetics of suicide.^[2]

See also

• Finno-Ugric peoples
• Human genetic variation
• Finnish heritage disease
• Gloomy Sunday
• List of countries by suicide rate

References

• Voracek M, Loibl LM, Kandrychyn S (June 2007). "Testing the Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis: replication and refinement with regional suicide data from eastern Europe". Percept Mot Skills. 104 (3 Pt 1): 985–94. doi:10.2466/PMS.104.3.985-994. PMID 17688155. 
• Voracek M, Fisher ML, Marusic A (October 2003). "The Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis: variation in European suicide rates by latitude and longitude". Percept Mot Skills. 97 (2): 401–6. doi:10.2466/pms.2003.97.2.401. PMID 14620226.