Russian Official Says Child Suicide Has Risen Nearly 40 Percent Since 2020

A mother and daughter walk through a hallway at the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital in Moscow. (file photo)

An adviser to the office of Russia's children ombudswoman says the number of suicide cases among minors in the country has increased almost 40 percent.

Roman Chuprikov said on August 11 that the number of registered suicides among children across Russia last year was 753 while in 2020 that number was 548.

An expert from the Moscow Psychiatric Research Center, Karine Keshchyan, said the number of attempted suicides among children is much higher.

According to Keshchyan, psychiatric experts are unable to keep up with "the huge number of children" who attempt to kill themselves because their parents often refuse to seek professional assistance.

With reporting by Interfax