The rate of suicide in Jordan has nearly doubled in the past three years.<br /><br />According to official figures there has been an 87 per cent increase in deaths by suicide in the last two years.<br /><br />This figure may be even higher as cultural norms and the fact that suicide is forbidden in Islam, cause many families to hide the real cause of death.<br /><br />Rising unemployment, an increasing gap between the rich and the poor and the social stigma of psychological disorder are said to be behind this issue. <br /><br />But Jordanian authorities refuse to admit that the situation has reached crisis point and this troubles social researchers who believe suicide has long been a neglected area of study.<br /><br />The country's health officials say it's an alarming trend that can't be ignored any longer. <br /><br />Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Jordan.
