Suicide rates rose significantly in the EU, the US and Canada during the recent recession, new research has found.

According to the findings, at least 10,000 suicides that took place in these regions between 2008 and 2010 can be linked to the economic crisis, with men particularly affected.

UK researchers analysed data from the World Health Organization that involved the US, Canada and 24 countries in the EU. They found that a downward trend in suicide rates in Europe began to reverse when the recession started in 2007. By 2009, these rates had risen by 6.5% and remained at this higher level right through to 2011.

In the US, suicide rates rose by almost 5% between 2007 and 2010 and in Canada, they rose by 4.5% during the same period.

The researchers believe that at least 10,000 additional suicides occurred as a result of the recession, however they describe this figure as a ‘conservative' estimate.

They noted that the main risk factors for suicide during a recession are the loss of a job, home repossession and debt.

They also noted ‘marked' differences in suicide rates in different countries affected by the same economic crisis. This, they believe, indicates that suicides during a recession are ‘avoidable'.

"There has been a substantial rise in suicides during the recession, greater than we would have anticipated based on previous trends. A critical question for policy and psychiatric practice is whether suicide rises are inevitable.

"This study shows that rising suicides have not been observed everywhere, so while recessions will continue to hurt, they don't always cause self-harm," commented the study's lead author, Dr Aaron Reeves of Oxford University.

The researchers suggested that a ‘range of interventions' may reduce the risk of suicide during future economic downturns, including more return to work programmes.

However, they also emphasised that suicides ‘are just the tip of the iceberg'.

"These data reveal a looming mental health crisis in Europe and North America. In these hard economic times, this research suggests it is critical to look for ways of protecting those who are likely to be hardest hit," they added.

Details of these findings are published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.