I mean there are people that probably think they don't want to cause damage to society and kill themselves because of that. (It is probably rather rare at least in the West). I think someone in forum posted a Netherland study and with similar numbers (3 million Euros damage per suicide)
www.nzz.ch
Personally, I will never pay income taxes, be on welfare and get my nursing care money. But killing myself would probably cost more. At least according to this article. They estimate between 3-4 million Euros per suicide. I think the main reason for that high number is the person won't pay income taxes. In my case I think my mom would end up as a nursing case or die when I ctb. The article is pretty good and eluciate on many factors. It is a Swiss newspaper I will use google translate.
Suicide comes at a high price
On average, around 1,300 people voluntarily take their own lives in Switzerland each year. In addition, tens of thousands of suicide attempts cause serious health and financial consequences. Suicide triggers billions of euros in social and economic costs each year.
November 20, 2004
Print
Share
On October 3, 2001, Andreas Gross, a member of the Zurich Social Democratic Party (SPD) National Council, asked the Federal Council in a simple inquiry "whether official or private data exist on how many suicide attempts are made in Switzerland each year." In its response of January 9, 2002, the Federal Council stated that, on average, around 1,300 suicides are officially registered each year, and the number of failed suicide attempts is estimated at up to 67,000.
We have become accustomed to the fact that there are more suicides than fatal traffic accidents in Switzerland each year. Hardly anyone investigates why this is the case, and the undoubtedly sensitive question of the social and economic costs of suicide remains largely taboo. A study commissioned by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) concluded that each traffic fatality causes intangible costs of CHF 2.87 million. Accordingly, the 50 fatal road traffic accidents presumably resulting from suicide would result in damages of more than CHF 143 million per year.
Conservative Estimates
Last year, the Swiss Society for the European Convention on Human Rights (SGEMKO) conducted a study that neither addressed the causes of suicide nor the psychological, therapeutic, or sociological aspects of suicide. This inventory does not claim to meet scientific or opinion poll criteria. The research revealed that, without exception, all institutions, companies, and experts contacted expressed great interest in the topic, were cooperative, and provided information to the best of their ability. These included, among others, university clinics, hospitals, cantonal, traffic, and criminal police departments, health insurance funds, insurance companies, the Swiss Federal Insurance and Insurance Association (SUVA), federal offices, railway companies, physicians, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and professional associations.
The projections of the SGEMKO study would have been much higher if all information from professional circles had been adopted without question. However, the estimates regarding the financial costs of suicide were never based on the highest of the assumed figures or unreported figures, but rather on the presumably lowest. The (approximate) cost calculations are based on the 1,296 suicides registered across Switzerland in 1999. For suicide attempts, less than half of the 67,000 cases annually estimated by the Federal Council were estimated. Nevertheless, it has been shown that suicide in Switzerland causes estimated economic costs of at least CHF 2.5 billion each year.
Exceptional Deaths
Suicides are considered "exceptional deaths" and require police, judicial, and usually forensic investigations (autopsy). The resulting costs average CHF 2,700 per case across all cantons. For example, the Lucerne Cantonal Police spent CHF 66,560 on police operations in 2001 and approximately CHF 44,800 in 2002, corresponding to an average cost of approximately CHF 1,300 per case. In the Canton of Uri, police operations during the same period amounted to approximately CHF 1,500 per case. In cantons where higher rates apply per "man-hour" (e.g., Zurich, Basel, Bern, or Geneva), the costs per incident can reach up to CHF 3,500.
In 1999, 90 people throughout Switzerland committed suicide by throwing themselves under a moving train. Between 1998 and 2002, an average of 93 people per year chose this method of suicide. Although railway operators do not keep statistics on the costs incurred, average costs can be calculated based on the experience of the SBB, the Lötschberg Railway, the Rhaetian Railway, and the Südostbahn. Taking into account all expenses for line closures, diversions, lost working hours, cleaning work, psychological follow-up for locomotive drivers, care teams, and associated personnel costs, the resulting costs per incident can reach CHF 20,000 or more. The costs for removing traces from the locomotive and the accident site alone are borne by railway operators.
In 1999, 344 people (328 men and 16 women) took their own lives with a firearm in Switzerland. 70 percent (240 cases) of these suicides occurred inside buildings (primarily apartments). Cleaning companies estimate the average cost of "restoring the premises" at around 1,000 francs per suicide, which resulted in costs of around a quarter of a million francs in the year of the survey.
Self-inflicted accidents on roads and railways
Police and insurance experts assume that among traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries, there are numerous "suicide cases" that are not statistically recorded as such. "In our canton," points out Josef Näf of the Aargau Police Command, "up to five fatal self-inflicted accidents caused by suicidal intent probably occur annually." The cantonal police of Uri and Nidwalden estimate the number of suspected suicides in road traffic at two or three cases per year.
In 1999, 549 fatal traffic accidents occurred throughout Switzerland. The 52 cases that, according to an assumed average of all surveyed cantonal police forces, were attributable to suicidal intent represent 13 percent of all fatal traffic accidents. This figure is also considered realistic by insurance experts. Assuming that every second suicide victim had a life insurance policy with a payout of CHF 60,000, that the vehicle damage amounted to around CHF 20,000, and that accident-related property damage to third parties amounted to around CHF 5,000, and that every second suicide requires a widow's or orphan's pension for a remaining life of 20 years, road traffic suicides alone resulted in follow-up costs of CHF 19.6 million in 1999.
In 1998, the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) commissioned a calculation of the economic costs of road and rail accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities. It based its calculations on a study by Ecoplan, which, using a scientific approach new to Switzerland but internationally recognized, also included follow-up costs such as mental and physical suffering or loss of consumption. Social costs, therefore, that are borne not primarily by road users but by taxpayers. The study concluded that one fatality in traffic causes intangible costs of CHF 2.87 million, one seriously injured person CHF 258,000, and one slightly injured person CHF 29,000. The estimated 50 suicide-related fatalities are likely to cause intangible costs of more than CHF 143 million each year.
The professional assisted suicide services provided by the organizations Exit and Dignitas also have significant cost implications. "We incur average costs of around CHF 5,000 per case," estimates Werner Kriesi, head of assisted suicide services at Exit. This includes administrative expenses, attendant fees, medical examinations, and medical reports. The total of 105 assisted suicides performed in 1999 (100 by Exit and 5 by Dignitas) therefore resulted in costs of over half a million francs. Not included are the costs incurred by the state. Zurich Public Prosecutor Andreas Brunner estimates that taxpayers incur costs of between CHF 3,000 and CHF 5,000 for each assisted suicide for investigative and forensic examinations.
Insurers Pay Millions
The Accident Insurance Statistics Office has compiled data on the average costs incurred by Suva for suicides between 1996 and 2000. During this period, 134 suicides were reported across the entire UVG (accident insurance) sector, corresponding to just under 2 percent of the approximately 7,000 suicides recorded in the country during this period. This resulted in costs for Suva of CHF 8.2 million in pension capital values.
The SGEMKO study assumes that 10 percent of suicides were committed by individuals who were legally incapable of judgment, which is a prerequisite for the act to trigger widows' and orphans' pensions. In the calculation year 1999, this corresponded to 13 cases. With an average monthly pension of 2,500 francs for a term of 30 years, this triggered insurance benefits of approximately 11.7 million francs.
The Association of Private Life Insurers, which merged into the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) in 1998, used to keep statistics on causes of death, in which all major life insurers (90 percent of the market) participated. "The 1996 statistics show," says Anton Peter of National Insurance, "that of a total of 11,634 deaths, 701 were due to suicide. Assuming that in 500 cases
Serious Cases
This percentage breakdown largely corresponds to a study conducted in 1989 at eight Hamburg hospitals, which recorded all patients admitted after a suicide attempt over the course of a year. A total of 832 admissions were recorded. 14.8 percent required intensive care, and 70.2 percent required inpatient treatment. 58.9 percent of the cases were assessed by physicians as "serious."
For injuries or poisonings treated as outpatients, our study used a "flat rate" of 1,000 Swiss francs, which, assuming 10,000 suicide attempts, corresponds to costs of 10 million Swiss francs. Suicide attempts requiring a hospital stay of at least three days were calculated at 2,000 Swiss francs per hospital day (this includes all costs incurred in a hospital). This results in total costs of 21 million Swiss francs for the assumed 3,500 cases.
For suicide attempts requiring intensive care and a hospital stay of at least two weeks, a daily flat rate of CHF 20,000 was assumed (including surgical costs). This results in total costs of CHF 280 million for 1,000 assumed cases.
Surveyed chief physicians and insurance experts agree that cases of permanent disability resulting from failed suicide attempts can result in total costs (including disability pensions) of CHF 4 million to 7 million (assuming a remaining life expectancy of 25-35 years). A flat rate of CHF 4 million was assumed for the study, which, assuming 500 cases annually, corresponds to CHF 2 billion.
Given the frequency of suicides and suicide attempts in Switzerland and the immense economic costs they entail, the question of effective suicide prevention arises (see previous article).
* The author is a publicist and, on behalf of the Swiss Society for the European Convention on Human Rights, prepared the study "The Price of Despair? On the Costs of Suicide in Switzerland" in 2003 (source: SGEMKO, PO Box, 8127 Forch-Zurich).
Der Freitod hat einen hohen Preis | NZZ
Im Jahresdurchschnitt scheiden in der Schweiz rund 1300 Personen freiwillig aus dem Leben. Zudem verursachen Zehntausende von Suizidversuchen zum Teil gravierende gesundheitliche und finanzielle Folgen. Das Suizidgeschehen löst alljährlich soziale und volkswirtschaftliche Kosten in...
www.nzz.ch
Personally, I will never pay income taxes, be on welfare and get my nursing care money. But killing myself would probably cost more. At least according to this article. They estimate between 3-4 million Euros per suicide. I think the main reason for that high number is the person won't pay income taxes. In my case I think my mom would end up as a nursing case or die when I ctb. The article is pretty good and eluciate on many factors. It is a Swiss newspaper I will use google translate.
Suicide comes at a high price
On average, around 1,300 people voluntarily take their own lives in Switzerland each year. In addition, tens of thousands of suicide attempts cause serious health and financial consequences. Suicide triggers billions of euros in social and economic costs each year.
November 20, 2004
Share
On October 3, 2001, Andreas Gross, a member of the Zurich Social Democratic Party (SPD) National Council, asked the Federal Council in a simple inquiry "whether official or private data exist on how many suicide attempts are made in Switzerland each year." In its response of January 9, 2002, the Federal Council stated that, on average, around 1,300 suicides are officially registered each year, and the number of failed suicide attempts is estimated at up to 67,000.
We have become accustomed to the fact that there are more suicides than fatal traffic accidents in Switzerland each year. Hardly anyone investigates why this is the case, and the undoubtedly sensitive question of the social and economic costs of suicide remains largely taboo. A study commissioned by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) concluded that each traffic fatality causes intangible costs of CHF 2.87 million. Accordingly, the 50 fatal road traffic accidents presumably resulting from suicide would result in damages of more than CHF 143 million per year.
Conservative Estimates
Last year, the Swiss Society for the European Convention on Human Rights (SGEMKO) conducted a study that neither addressed the causes of suicide nor the psychological, therapeutic, or sociological aspects of suicide. This inventory does not claim to meet scientific or opinion poll criteria. The research revealed that, without exception, all institutions, companies, and experts contacted expressed great interest in the topic, were cooperative, and provided information to the best of their ability. These included, among others, university clinics, hospitals, cantonal, traffic, and criminal police departments, health insurance funds, insurance companies, the Swiss Federal Insurance and Insurance Association (SUVA), federal offices, railway companies, physicians, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and professional associations.
The projections of the SGEMKO study would have been much higher if all information from professional circles had been adopted without question. However, the estimates regarding the financial costs of suicide were never based on the highest of the assumed figures or unreported figures, but rather on the presumably lowest. The (approximate) cost calculations are based on the 1,296 suicides registered across Switzerland in 1999. For suicide attempts, less than half of the 67,000 cases annually estimated by the Federal Council were estimated. Nevertheless, it has been shown that suicide in Switzerland causes estimated economic costs of at least CHF 2.5 billion each year.
Exceptional Deaths
Suicides are considered "exceptional deaths" and require police, judicial, and usually forensic investigations (autopsy). The resulting costs average CHF 2,700 per case across all cantons. For example, the Lucerne Cantonal Police spent CHF 66,560 on police operations in 2001 and approximately CHF 44,800 in 2002, corresponding to an average cost of approximately CHF 1,300 per case. In the Canton of Uri, police operations during the same period amounted to approximately CHF 1,500 per case. In cantons where higher rates apply per "man-hour" (e.g., Zurich, Basel, Bern, or Geneva), the costs per incident can reach up to CHF 3,500.
In 1999, 90 people throughout Switzerland committed suicide by throwing themselves under a moving train. Between 1998 and 2002, an average of 93 people per year chose this method of suicide. Although railway operators do not keep statistics on the costs incurred, average costs can be calculated based on the experience of the SBB, the Lötschberg Railway, the Rhaetian Railway, and the Südostbahn. Taking into account all expenses for line closures, diversions, lost working hours, cleaning work, psychological follow-up for locomotive drivers, care teams, and associated personnel costs, the resulting costs per incident can reach CHF 20,000 or more. The costs for removing traces from the locomotive and the accident site alone are borne by railway operators.
In 1999, 344 people (328 men and 16 women) took their own lives with a firearm in Switzerland. 70 percent (240 cases) of these suicides occurred inside buildings (primarily apartments). Cleaning companies estimate the average cost of "restoring the premises" at around 1,000 francs per suicide, which resulted in costs of around a quarter of a million francs in the year of the survey.
Self-inflicted accidents on roads and railways
Police and insurance experts assume that among traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries, there are numerous "suicide cases" that are not statistically recorded as such. "In our canton," points out Josef Näf of the Aargau Police Command, "up to five fatal self-inflicted accidents caused by suicidal intent probably occur annually." The cantonal police of Uri and Nidwalden estimate the number of suspected suicides in road traffic at two or three cases per year.
In 1999, 549 fatal traffic accidents occurred throughout Switzerland. The 52 cases that, according to an assumed average of all surveyed cantonal police forces, were attributable to suicidal intent represent 13 percent of all fatal traffic accidents. This figure is also considered realistic by insurance experts. Assuming that every second suicide victim had a life insurance policy with a payout of CHF 60,000, that the vehicle damage amounted to around CHF 20,000, and that accident-related property damage to third parties amounted to around CHF 5,000, and that every second suicide requires a widow's or orphan's pension for a remaining life of 20 years, road traffic suicides alone resulted in follow-up costs of CHF 19.6 million in 1999.
In 1998, the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) commissioned a calculation of the economic costs of road and rail accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities. It based its calculations on a study by Ecoplan, which, using a scientific approach new to Switzerland but internationally recognized, also included follow-up costs such as mental and physical suffering or loss of consumption. Social costs, therefore, that are borne not primarily by road users but by taxpayers. The study concluded that one fatality in traffic causes intangible costs of CHF 2.87 million, one seriously injured person CHF 258,000, and one slightly injured person CHF 29,000. The estimated 50 suicide-related fatalities are likely to cause intangible costs of more than CHF 143 million each year.
The professional assisted suicide services provided by the organizations Exit and Dignitas also have significant cost implications. "We incur average costs of around CHF 5,000 per case," estimates Werner Kriesi, head of assisted suicide services at Exit. This includes administrative expenses, attendant fees, medical examinations, and medical reports. The total of 105 assisted suicides performed in 1999 (100 by Exit and 5 by Dignitas) therefore resulted in costs of over half a million francs. Not included are the costs incurred by the state. Zurich Public Prosecutor Andreas Brunner estimates that taxpayers incur costs of between CHF 3,000 and CHF 5,000 for each assisted suicide for investigative and forensic examinations.
Insurers Pay Millions
The Accident Insurance Statistics Office has compiled data on the average costs incurred by Suva for suicides between 1996 and 2000. During this period, 134 suicides were reported across the entire UVG (accident insurance) sector, corresponding to just under 2 percent of the approximately 7,000 suicides recorded in the country during this period. This resulted in costs for Suva of CHF 8.2 million in pension capital values.
The SGEMKO study assumes that 10 percent of suicides were committed by individuals who were legally incapable of judgment, which is a prerequisite for the act to trigger widows' and orphans' pensions. In the calculation year 1999, this corresponded to 13 cases. With an average monthly pension of 2,500 francs for a term of 30 years, this triggered insurance benefits of approximately 11.7 million francs.
The Association of Private Life Insurers, which merged into the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA) in 1998, used to keep statistics on causes of death, in which all major life insurers (90 percent of the market) participated. "The 1996 statistics show," says Anton Peter of National Insurance, "that of a total of 11,634 deaths, 701 were due to suicide. Assuming that in 500 cases
Serious Cases
This percentage breakdown largely corresponds to a study conducted in 1989 at eight Hamburg hospitals, which recorded all patients admitted after a suicide attempt over the course of a year. A total of 832 admissions were recorded. 14.8 percent required intensive care, and 70.2 percent required inpatient treatment. 58.9 percent of the cases were assessed by physicians as "serious."
For injuries or poisonings treated as outpatients, our study used a "flat rate" of 1,000 Swiss francs, which, assuming 10,000 suicide attempts, corresponds to costs of 10 million Swiss francs. Suicide attempts requiring a hospital stay of at least three days were calculated at 2,000 Swiss francs per hospital day (this includes all costs incurred in a hospital). This results in total costs of 21 million Swiss francs for the assumed 3,500 cases.
For suicide attempts requiring intensive care and a hospital stay of at least two weeks, a daily flat rate of CHF 20,000 was assumed (including surgical costs). This results in total costs of CHF 280 million for 1,000 assumed cases.
Surveyed chief physicians and insurance experts agree that cases of permanent disability resulting from failed suicide attempts can result in total costs (including disability pensions) of CHF 4 million to 7 million (assuming a remaining life expectancy of 25-35 years). A flat rate of CHF 4 million was assumed for the study, which, assuming 500 cases annually, corresponds to CHF 2 billion.
Given the frequency of suicides and suicide attempts in Switzerland and the immense economic costs they entail, the question of effective suicide prevention arises (see previous article).
* The author is a publicist and, on behalf of the Swiss Society for the European Convention on Human Rights, prepared the study "The Price of Despair? On the Costs of Suicide in Switzerland" in 2003 (source: SGEMKO, PO Box, 8127 Forch-Zurich).
