Finno-Ugrian suicide hypothesis

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

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]) of an independent state in recorded human history. Higher rates were only measured in regions like Greenland or the Canadian territories.

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.^{[citation needed]}

However, contrary to the hypothesis, available contemporary (1990–1994) suicide rates in the United States were uniformly negatively associated with the proportion of the population comprising people of self-reported Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, or Ukrainian descent. 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

• Human genetic variation
• Finnish heritage disease
• Gloomy Sunday
• List of countries by suicide rate