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Tragic figure: In Hungary, someone dies by suicide every six hours
For decades, the number of suicides in Hunagry was steadily declining. According to a recent warning issued by the Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK), however, this trend has been broken, and over the past five years the country has seen a turnaround not witnessed since the 1980s.
MOK says that after four decades of decline, the downward trend stopped in 2019. Since then, the figures have started to worsen again.
The Chamber claims that Hungary now sees, on average, one suicide every six hours — a situation they describe as the most alarming since the 1980s.
Experts argue that the crisis cannot be explained by a single event. Beyond chronic underfunding, the mental healthcare system has been struggling with a long-term shortage of doctors and specialised staff.
One of the most striking examples is the Nyírő Gyula National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions, where fifteen specialist doctors reportedly left within less than two years — a development that many see as a symptom of a broader system under strain.
Where does Hungary stand today in terms of mental health?
MOK’s statement does not focus only on psychiatric wards. It also points out that access to mental healthcare in general has not improved. Psychotherapy, for example, remains difficult to access, with long waiting lists — despite the fact that professional recommendations consistently describe it as one of the key elements of prevention.
Hungary’s suicide indicators have long ranked among the worst in the European Union. According to Eurostat data, Lithuania recorded the highest suicide death rate among EU member states in 2016, with Hungary close behind. In 2020, the same pattern emerged: Hungary had the second-highest suicide mortality rate in the EU, again after Lithuania.
The EU–OECD Hungary Country Health Profile (2023) also notes that despite an overall long-term decline, Hungary still has one of the highest suicide rates among men in the European Union.
International comparisons show that Hungary continues to stand out within the EU, particularly due to high suicide rates among men — even if overall mortality figures have improved in certain periods.
Professional publications also point to major limitations in the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric conditions in Hungary. Some estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of people live with mental health disorders requiring treatment each year, yet only a small proportion receive effective care.
Self-harm, the blind spot in the statistics
Another phenomenon frequently discussed in mental health research is non-suicidal self-injury (self-harm). This refers to deliberately harming one’s own body — for example through cutting or other forms of injury — without the intention of ending one’s life.
Because it does not involve death, self-harm does not appear in suicide statistics. Yet mental health professionals consider it an important warning sign, and research suggests it may be closely linked to suicidal behaviour, including suicide attempts, as a potential risk factor.
In Hungary, there is still limited nationwide, representative data on self-harm. However, based on media reports and the experiences of professionals working in child psychiatry and emergency care, the phenomenon is far from rare among adolescents and young adults.
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