Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Soi Dog · Post by **Soi Dog** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:26 am

If I was stuck in Wyoming, I might consider it too. Still, better they be suicidal than homicidal.

www.economist.com wrote:Over 40,000 Americans took their own lives in 2012—more than died in car crashes—says the American Association of Suicidology. Mondays in May see the most incidents. The rates are highest in Wyoming and Montana, perhaps because guns—which are more effective than pills—are so common there (see chart). Nationally, guns are used in half of all successful suicides.

What drives people to self-destruction? Those who suffer from depression are, unsurprisingly, most at risk. The suicide rate also rises when times are hard. During the Depression it jumped to a record 19 per 100,000. It grew after the recent financial crisis too. “Even just uncertainty over employment” makes people worry a lot, notes Yeats Conwell, a psychiatrist at the University of Rochester Medical Centre.

The over-75s have historically been most likely to kill themselves, especially if they are lonely or ill. But now it is the middle-aged who are most at risk. In 2012 the suicide rate for Americans aged 45-54 was 20 per 100,000—the highest rate of any age group. For those aged 55-64 it was 18; for the over-65s it was 15. The middle years can be stressful, because that is when people realise that their youthful ambitions will never be fulfilled.

Women make nearly four times as many suicide attempts as men, but men succeed four times as often. Men favour bloodier methods: most use a gun, whereas less than a third of women do. Women may be better at asking for help; overall, they are two and a half times more likely than men to take anti-depressants. Whites are nearly three times as likely as African-Americans to kill themselves. Blacks are five times more likely to be murdered with a gun than to kill themselves with one; for whites it is the other way round.

Military veterans are especially prone to suicide. Data from 48 states suggest that 30 out of 100,000 veterans kill themselves each year—a rate far higher than among civilians. Many find it hard to overcome the trauma of combat, or to adjust to civilian life. A survey by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group, found that 31% of veterans had considered taking their own lives. Congress is mulling a bill to overhaul how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles the problem.

http://www.economist.com/news/united-st ... awful-hole

The Add Jay · Post by **The Add Jay** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:45 am

The Add Jay · Post by **The Add Jay** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:49 am

But Dog why would people be offing themselves?? I thought the GDP Skyrocketed to a whopping 2%!! Its a boom I tell Ya!!

The middle class is back! People are buying homes...getting married having kids! That 1 week vacation to disneyland(without the measles) Backyard BBQs with neighbors!

Soi Dog · Post by **Soi Dog** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 2:35 am

The Add Jay wrote:But Dog why would people be offing themselves?? I thought the GDP Skyrocketed to a whopping 2%!! Its a boom I tell Ya!!

People kill themselves for all kinds of reasons, most prominently mental health and clinical depression issues. Wealthy people kill themselves too. Did comedian Robin Williams kill himself because of lasting effects of the global economic crisis? Well-off Japanese and South Koreans kill themselves at a much higher rate than Americans and always have.

Do you think an economy the size the the US can consistently grow at 8%? You are just being ridiculous. Just because you couldn't hack it back in the US and weren't willing to relocate, learn a new skill or create a business of your own doesn't mean the rest of the population can't. "Survival of the fittest" washes out those like you and leaves them by the wayside. I wish the rest of the detritus like you would pack up and leave too. The US's loss is Cambodia's gain, I'm sure.

By the way, homes in my area, values of which were hit very hard from 2007 to 2012, have doubled in price since the lows. This is because people are buying again...clever, hard-working people who can cope and deal with changing economic circumstances.

the Add Jay wrote:The middle class is back! People are buying homes...getting married having kids! That 1 week vacation to disneyland(without the measles) Backyard BBQs with neighbors!

Yes, most people like to live in a decent house with a loving family and lots of friends and neighbors. I wouldn't be surprised if you, on the other hand, were living all alone there in one tiny room for $150 per month on a pittance salary in a friendless existence.

The Add Jay · Post by **The Add Jay** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:43 am

you know all bro. you got me.

CaliforniaGuy · Post by **CaliforniaGuy** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 3:16 pm

The Add Jay wrote:But Dog why would people be offing themselves?? I thought the GDP Skyrocketed to a whopping 2%!! Its a boom I tell Ya!!

The middle class is back! People are buying homes...getting married having kids! That 1 week vacation to disneyland(without the measles) Backyard BBQs with neighbors!

Actually we will be having backyard BBQs with neighbors when I am back in the US this summer. Looking forward to it. My house has appreciated 35% in value since I bought it in 2011. One of my kids and spouse actually own two homes, they made the money on their own. My friend's kid was hired even before he graduated college with his engineering degree. I know plenty of hard working people starting their own businesses and even in starting new industries. There are of course plenty who struggle. The big difference between the two? First: Education Education Education Education (and in the correct field). The Second: Hard work, well you have to be willing to do that to get educated anyway. Two people I know starting their own successful businesses started out from pretty much nothing but hard work. I don't buy the sob stories, neither should you.

The ones I see struggling, their situations were predictable.

We do avoid places like Disneyland however, it is much too crowded for our taste.

CaliforniaGuy · Post by **CaliforniaGuy** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 4:43 pm

Interesting article on why some states have such disproportionately high suicide rates, including the western and southern states, especially among males. Coincidentally they also have more of a gun culture, although this does not seem to be as strong a factor.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21844096

"Cultures of honor facilitate certain forms of interpersonal violence. The authors suggest that these cultures might also promote values and expectations that could heighten suicide risk, such as strict gender-role standards and hypersensitivity to reputational threats, which could lead people living in such cultures to consider death as an option when failure occurs or reputation is threatened sufficiently. Study 1 shows that, controlling for a host of statewide covariates, honor states in the United States have significantly higher male and female suicide rates than do nonhonor states, particularly in nonmetropolitan areas among Whites. Study 2 shows that statewide levels of antidepressant prescriptions (an indicator of mental health resource utilization) are lower in honor states, whereas levels of major depression are higher, and statewide levels of depression are associated with suicide rates only among honor states. Finally, Study 3 shows that individual endorsement of honor ideology is positively associated with depression. "

The full article can be obtained for free from: http://www.academia.edu

The Add Jay · Post by **The Add Jay** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:09 pm

committing suicide is for pussies. Never see Add Jay try to hang himself. He mans up...Yeah its hot out their at Depot Market. What does he do? Rigs himself a torn up crusty Tarpaulin over his cart to stay out of the sun and does it with a big ass smile on his face.

The Add Jay · Post by **The Add Jay** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:15 pm

Education? Tell that to a Khmer graduate.

CaliforniaGuy · Post by **CaliforniaGuy** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:51 am

The Add Jay wrote:Education? Tell that to a Khmer graduate.

Of course you are right, there is not yet much opportunity in Cambodia for people to get a good education, nor to find good jobs if they do. I was of course speaking of my experience in the U.S. But I think it will change here too eventually, and education is still the key.
I was talking to a young Khmer kid yesterday, helping with his English class. I had asked the class the what do you want to do when they grow up question, most of the answers were pretty predictable but one of the boys said he wanted to be a programmer. When prompted more, he said he wanted to learn Java and program Apps. He seemed to be aware of some of the resources available on the web. I asked if he had a computer. Yes, he had a laptop, but could not use it because the battery was dead and the power supply did not work. So there you go, even a kid who is smart and has plans has obstacles placed in front of them that don't exist in the West. If I see him again, I will see what can be done to help him. By the time he gets to the peak of his career here, things will have changed, and if he keeps up with getting educated in computer programming and related skills, he will do much better than his peers. Education, along with hard work, is still key, even in Cambodia.

Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Re: Yanks topping themselves at a blistering pace

Who is online

Register/Login to CEO with your Social Media Account: