London, Feb 3 (IANS): The introduction of austerity measures in Greece in June 2011 marked the start of a significant, sharp and sustained increase in suicides, to reach a peak in 2012, a study says.

Suicides in Greece reached a 30 year all-time high in 2012, with a sustained upward trend starting in June 2011, the month that the government introduced further austerity measures to help pay down the country's debts, the researchers said.

The number of total suicides rose by over 35 percent in June 2011, which was sustained for the rest of the year and into 2012, equivalent to an extra 11.2 suicides every month, on average, revealed the study spanning 30 years.

The researchers tracked the number of suicides recorded in Greece every month between Jan 1983 and Dec 2012 to assess the impact of prosperity and austerity on the figures, using national death certification data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority.

Between 1983 and 2012, 11,505 people took their own lives--9,079 men and 2,426 women.

June 2011 marked the beginning of the first part of a larger austerity plan that was narrowly voted through amid widespread public opposition, manifest in violent protests and strikes.

"Despite historically having one of the lowest suicide rates in the world, Greece is thought to have been more affected by the global financial downturn than any other European country," said the researchers.

High unemployment, household debt, comprehensive welfare and benefit cuts, and increasing homelessness prompted by the unrelenting and sizeable economic downturn in Greece are likely to have piled on the stress and created a sense of hopelessness, they added.

The study was published in the online journal BMJ Open.