Harsh austerity measures imposed on Greece have been linked to a 36 percent sustained spike in Greece's suicide rate.
A report based on the analyses of 30 years of data, and published by a leading medical journal states that: "The introduction of austerity measures [in Greece] in June 2011 marked the start of a significant, sharp, and sustained increase in suicides, that reach a peak in 2012."
BMJ's research team report that, "high unemployment, household debt, comprehensive welfare and benefit cuts, and increasing homelessness prompted by the unrelenting and sizable economic downturn in Greece" - created a sense of "hopelessness" and caused a dramatic increase in suicides.
The rate of people taking their own lives spiked again in April 2012 after a retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas, shot himself outside the Greek Parliament.
The research finds that this high profile suicide had a 'contagion' effect.
Historically the country has recorded low suicide rates - an average of 11.2 extra suicides occurred each month after the introduction of austerity.
The report concludes that: "The consideration of future austerity measures should give greater weight to the unintended mental health consequences that may follow and the public messaging of these policies and related events."
There had already been a smaller increase in suicides after the initial recession began in 2008.
Other events of national importance, such as the introduction of the euro in January 2002 were found to have had an effect on suicide figures - but the rates soon returned to normal.
The recession, and subsequent austerity policies were the only factors that were seen to have had a sustained effect on suicide rates.
The report's findings contradict previous research that found that economic downturns tend to affect men more than women. Across the 30 years the ratio of male to female suicides was 4:1. From May 2011 there was larger percentage-increase in female suicides.
The report warns that the data-set could be too small to declare this increase as being statically significant.
Although increases in suicides were reported, and commented on throughout Greece's financial difficulties - this study claims to be the first large-scale and systematic analyses of the phenomenon.
Greece's new Syriza-led government has pledged to "end austerity" - it will meet representatives from the ECB later today.
Here is the newly-elected Greek Finance Minister's, Vanis Varoufakis take on the Greek recession. This video was made for Channel 4 in 2012.
