Suicide and Demographics

[ybbor]

I came across* the 2003 suicide statistics, and saw some interesting numbers. One thing I found interesting was the numbers of deaths and attempts. there are about 4 times as many male deaths from suicide as there female. But there are three times as many female suicide attempts as there are male. (Also interesting was that the elderly were about 25-50 times more successful in their suicide attempts than the young, which I would assume is from less resilient bodies, and greater access to suicide methods from their many prescriptions.) Does anyone know why males are so much more "successful" in their attempts? Do males try more "effective" methods than females? Does someone have some statistics on this?

And why do minorities have a lower suicide rate than whites? Wouldn't they feel excluded from society?

*I "came across" it when it was linked to as part of a storyline in this questionable content thread (spoiler warning), so before anyone asks, no I'm not anywhere near considering suicide

Remember, if you are considering suicide, seek immediate help from someone you trust. The people who love you would be immeasurably sad if someone they loved died.

If you think someone is considering suicide, talk to them about it. If you think that they're considering it, they've probably already have. Problems happen when things don't get out in the open, not when they do.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

From what I've heard, women are more likely to attempt suicide a s a cry for attention, and thus not try as hard. Also, the only holiday with a suicide rate higher than the daily average is New Years. It is not true that Christmas has a higher rate.

That was also a good QC thread, even if it did veer a little towards the "on a very special episode of . . ." at times.

 

[CaptainF]

From what I can tell, Males like to use more effective methods.

Common methods among guys include a gun to the head, kicking the bucket (literally), carbon monoxide from a car, etc.

Females on the other hand prefer to swallow a bottle of pills and cry themselves to sleep. Which isn't guaranteed to kill you.

I don't know why females attempt suicide more, probably because they are more emotional and act on a whim.

 

[CaptainF]

Eran also has a good pint. Women do it to get attention, guys do it to kill themselves. Pure and simple.

 

[silver 2039]

And why do minorities have a lower suicide rate than whites? Wouldn't they feel excluded from society?

Minorties often group together within their own commounity. Little India, and Chinatown often pop up within the US, so even if they feel exculded from society at large they have their own support structure to fall back on.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Yeah, I am just another whitey. As we make up 80% of the population no one will befriend me just for being white. Whereas if I were a minority that would make it easier to identify with other members of said minority.

Actually, as a Mormon I am somewhat of a minority. It is a lot easier for me to identify with/befriend Mormons because we are relatively few, and if I were suicidal I'm sure the church would make a good support group.

 

[Methos]

As we make up 80% of the population no one will befriend me just for being white.

I'm curious about this statistic, is that US only, or the world? US I could believe, but surely 80% of the world isn't white. In fact I would think less than 30% of the world was white. JMO.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well 80% of the US, in which I live. Worldwide it is much less but then I don't live in Japan, now do I? Nor do I live in Utah, though.

 

[GenMarshall]

Actually, as a Mormon I am somewhat of a minority. It is a lot easier for me to identify with/befriend Mormons because we are relatively few, and if I were suicidal I'm sure the church would make a good support group.

Not sure about Catholics in my area since they roughly make up half of the population of Connecticut. Plus our next door neighbor (Rhode Island) has a Catholic Majority.

 

[nonconformist]

Maybe suicide is more acceptable among whites, partially due to religious reasons.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Not sure about Catholics in my area since they roughly make up half of the population of Connecticut. Plus our next door neighbor (Rhode Island) has a Catholic Majority.

RI being one of only two states, I think with one religion making up more than 50% of the population. And here is an example of what I mean - it is less of a distinguishing characteristic to be Catholic there, thus you get a lot less of a support group just by being Catholic.

 

[GenMarshall]

RI being one of only two states, I think with one religion making up more than 50% of the population. And here is an example of what I mean - it is less of a distinguishing characteristic to be Catholic there, thus you get a lot less of a support group just by being Catholic.

Where as being in the Bible Belt in the South with a Protestant majority you would get more support?

 

[nonconformist]

Ironically, today I was just reading about Budd Dwyer.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Where as being in the Bible Belt in the South with a Protestant majority you would get more support?

Exactly. There is, not exactly an "us vs. them" mentality but you are unusual enough that other members of the minority group are more willing to befriend you and provide support.

 

[ybbor]

Maybe suicide is more acceptable among whites, partially due to religious reasons.

what?

 

[Narz]

I was going to start a suicide thread a couple of months ago. Wasn't sure how to begin though. It's a pretty serious topic as I've been suicidal myself (nine years ago) and had two friends end their lives.

I would venture to say that anyone to doesn't succeed (at killing themselves) doesn't really (consciously or otherwise) want to die. A suicide attempt has a way of getting attention and even giving a person a sense of community (in a psych hospital with other people going thru similar struggles for example). IMO, white kids commit & attempt suicide more because they feel more isolated than their "minority" brothers and sisters. For whatever blacks, lations, Asians, etc. go thru they at least can feel part of their racial group and generally have larger familes whereas white kids often feel no sense of belonging within their ethnic group.

A scary fact about China - from what I've read suicide there is now the #1 cause of death for "young people" (age 15-35 I think, something like that). Also unique in the world is that fact that more women kill themselves there than men. I guess the cultural revolution really did help them feel more "empowered".

By the way, AFAIK suicide is the #3 cause of death among young people in the US and the 8th or 9th leading cause of death overall. Kind of scary if you think about it.

 

[ybbor]

I was going to start a suicide thread a couple of months ago. Wasn't sure how to begin though. It's a pretty serious topic as I've been suicidal myself (nine years ago) and had two friends end their lives.

I would venture to say that anyone to doesn't succeed (at killing themselves) doesn't really (consciously or otherwise) want to die. A suicide attempt has a way of getting attention and even giving a person a sense of community (in a psych hospital with other people going thru similar struggles for example). IMO, white kids commit & attempt suicide more because they feel more isolated than their "minority" brothers and sisters. For whatever blacks, lations, Asians, etc. go thru they at least can feel part of their racial group and generally have larger familes whereas white kids often feel no sense of belonging within their ethnic group.

A scary fact about China - from what I've read suicide there is now the #1 cause of death for "young people" (age 15-35 I think, something like that). Also unique in the world is that fact that more women kill themselves there than men. I guess the cultural revolution really did help them feel more "empowered".

By the way, AFAIK suicide is the #3 cause of death among young people in the US and the 8th or 9th leading cause of death overall. Kind of scary if you think about it.

#3 uin young and 11th overall. homicide is 15th.

 

[Yeeek]

I believed i talked about it before once in another thread. I had a nasty car accident in 1999. But the problem is i don't remember one bit of what happened. I was depressive at the time and felt like sh1t. I'm sure anyone who has been depressive can relate to what i mean.

So, the problem is, as i have no flashback about the accident (was uncoucsious for nearly 6 hours at the hospital, vaguely remember emergency staff in the truck i was lying in asking me tons of questions but even that i have no idea if its just my mind playing tricks on me.) and how it happened i have this thought that i did it on purpose but i can't be sure nor were the docs back then. Though, i didn't drank, didn't smoked pot, wasn't tired at least i don't remember. I knew very well the road as it was my way to home. Kind of suspect don't you think. Pluls, i was alone, no other involved. Basically, just went straight for the moutain flank.

Suicide is a serious matter as someone else in the thread pointed out, now that my depressive state is well over and behind me, still this accident and what happened come haunt my minds every now and then as i will never get the real truth about it. Questions and questions again.

If you feel depressed, don't be afraid to talk about it. Even to a complete stranger. I had a very bad opinion of psychologist before but that changed. It really helped me to talk about my problems, my past, my feelings to someone neutral not from my relatives and family.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

If you feel depressed, don't be afraid to talk about it. Even to a complete stranger. I had a very bad opinion of psychologist before but that changed. It really helped me to talk about my problems, my past, my feelings to someone neutral not from my relatives and family.

Just my GP helped me. He got it spot on about what I was going through and was quite content to listen and help. And having a doctor confirm that being depressed is pretty common and nowadays very much recognised was a help.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Interesting note: when I was in high school, before I was diagnosed with depression and just assumed the entire universe was the problem. I contemplated suicide. Not in the sense of seriously considering it, I just wanted, for future reference, to know how I would feel about it. I decided that because of my religious beliefs I couldn't do it. Not that I considered suicide a sin, but as I believed in an afterlife I decided that merely killing myself would not be enouigh to make my problems go away. And later when I was diagnosed I learned it was just faulty wiring or a chemical imbalance or something anyways.