Mental health and macroeconomics: economic and social determinants that explain suicide in Ecuador.

Economic growth significantly explains suicides in Ecuador.

• A Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model was used to assess the relationship between macroeconomic variables and suicide rates.
• Economic growth was identified as one of the main determinants of suicide in the VAR model results.
• Data were collected from national and international sources and integrated into a time series database.
• Stability tests were performed to validate the model.

Underemployment significantly explains suicides in Ecuador.

• Underemployment was identified alongside economic growth as a significant explanatory variable for suicides in the VAR model.
• The finding highlights job insecurity as a relevant social and economic determinant of suicide.
• The Granger causality test was used to identify causal directions among variables.
• The result supports the study's argument that suicide should be studied from an economic perspective in addition to a psychological one.

The Granger causality test was used to identify causal directions between economic/social variables and suicide rates.

• The study employed the Granger causality test as a methodological tool to assess directionality of relationships between variables.
• This approach allowed the authors to move beyond correlation and make causal inferences about determinants of suicide.
• The analysis was conducted within the broader VAR modeling framework.
• Data spanned a time series period drawing from national and international sources in Ecuador.

The study proposed an economic and social theoretical approach to understanding suicide, as an alternative to the traditional psychological perspective.

• Traditionally, suicidal ideation and suicide have been approached from the perspective of psychology.
• This study frames suicide as a phenomenon explainable by macroeconomic and social determinants.
• The authors argue that mental health protection policies should consider social aspects and job security.
• The study focused on Ecuador, using nationally and internationally sourced data integrated into a time series database.

The study concludes that mental health protection policies should incorporate social and labor market considerations.

• Findings highlight 'the importance of developing mental health protection policies that consider social aspects and job security.'
• Both economic growth and underemployment were identified as significant predictors, pointing to macroeconomic policy as a lever for suicide prevention.
• The authors recommend integrating economic and social determinants into public health policy frameworks.
• This conclusion is drawn from econometric evidence using VAR modeling and Granger causality testing.