Title: A Lonely Planet
Each year approximately 1 million people will die from suicide. Suicide accounts for half of all violent deaths worldwide and, according to 2001 WHO report, also accounts for more deaths than homicide (500,000) and war (230,000) put together. The figure of 1 million does not even include the 10-20 million unsuccessful suicide attempts.
Why you should know it: In our society we often hear of terrible murders or shootings that have occurred, but suicides do not get much publicity. As stated above, suicide is a bigger problem than homicide. In the United States there are twice as many deaths from self-harm compared to homicides, while in Canada there are seven times as many suicides as homicides (with the rate 4 times higher for men than women).
Further thoughts: So why so little press about suicides? A possible reason is that people find death by homicide more captivating because they believe, mostly unrealistically, that it relates to their personal safety. But if one is concerned about societal problems, then they have a misperceived notion of what is more important; it is likely that the family members of someone who has killed themselves experience a similar horror as those family members who have suffered a homicide.
2 comments:
You've made some excellent points about suicide, Darren. I think there are several reasons why homicide receives more attention than suicide. As you said, there is a misguided notion that strangers are hiding behind bushes, which is promoted by TV shows like Law and Order or CSI, and that this poses a direct threat to our safety.
Also, clinical depression still carries a stigma and many people are embarrassed to say that they're depressed. Moreover, if they kill themselves, it is often seen as their fault. And that is by lay people! In the religious world, suicide is a sin. In many places, it's illegal, which I find completely irrational. We need more public awareness about depression as being potentially fatal. And not everything needs to be medicalized. Sometimes life is just really hard and people throw up their hands in despair. It's not always a genetic or biological problem. But our thinking about homicide is erroneous, and I'm sure that many people don't realize that men kill themselves so much more often than women. Very sad.
More men than women suicide. Is this genetic or unequal-unfair gender treatment or ??
Does society take better care of women than men?
Do men complain less than women?
Do women ask for help more easily than women?
Do people help women more readily than men?
Do men get into more jackpots that seem unresolvable because they are male?
In prison 'suicidal' inmates react to pressure by slashing etc and indicate problems in the 'population' . Is society at large different?
The Nolan Mike
Post a Comment