Migration, migrants and suicide: a brief narrative review of the foreign studies

In the modern world, the intensity of migration processes is increasing, involving hundreds of millions of people. In many suicidological guidelines, immigrant status is considered a risk factor for suicide. However, migrants are not a homogeneous group; their motives are diverse, and the consequences for mental health and suicidal behavior are ambiguous. Methodology. A search was conducted in domestic and international databases on the problem of suicide among migrants. Thirty-five sources from Western countries were processed. Results. Suicidal behavior among migrants is most actively studied in Western countries, which are the main destination for international migration flows from countries with a lower economic level. Studies show that despite significant variation in the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide, immigrants most often demonstrate characteristic of suicidal behavior that are inherent to their countries of origin. Consequently, immigrants from the Middle East, for example, have lower rates in the Western European countries compared to the local population, while immigrants from countries of the former USSR have relatively higher rates. Sometimes this pattern is visible only in the first generation, while in the second generation the levels begin to approach those typical of the host culture. Teenagers and young people, who are deeply involved in the global information context, are at a highest risk. The situation in different host countries depends on migration policy, the status of the migrant (refugees, undocumented migrants, those granted asylum or who have legalized their status), as well as the historically formed attitude towards migration. Conclusion. Suicides among migrants are a topical research subject in Western suicidology. The international experience accumulated in this area is of interest to us from the perspective of the methodology used for the analysis, as well as in the context of assessing possible burden on psychiatric and psychological support resources.