Suicidal Thread

[Timmy40]

I've just been reading that every week about 100 men kill themselves, mostly men in there 40's. And not just hopeless cases, often outwardly successful and happy men. As someone right in the middle of that demographic and fitting a lot of the criteria, I frankly can see why men do it, and why it's 4 times more likely men will commit suicide than women.

I wouldn't be surprised is the figures aren't actually understating the true carnage as I think man often make it look like an accident, or what they do could be construed as accidental e.g. down a bottle of whisky with a large dose of coke.

It's a terrible state of affairs though, and one which to be honest were the gender balance reversed would be getting massive attention and huge amounts of funding to try and tackle.

Anyway, as the song goes suicide is painless, it's brings on lots of changes.

[Timmy40]

I wonder what the stats are on attempts though? I would imagine women make more attempts but are a bit crap at seeing it through whereas men in all probability once they decide they are going to do it, do it properly and see it through. So perhaps it's more even than the death figures suggest?

[Timmy40]

fido said:

Timmy40 said:

I would imagine women make more attempts but are a bit crap at seeing it through whereas men in all probability once they decide they are going to do it, do it properly and see it through.

This is all pure conjecture, but I don't believe this to be the case - perhaps even the opposite - once they've made up their mind then a woman or man will follow it through with equal success.

Partly conjecture, without time to do proper research it's hard to say. I did find one study from a Hospital in Oxford that shows female incidences of self harm ( attempted suicide ) to be running at roughly 1.3 times that of Men, but the number of male fatalities runs 4 times higher than for females. Which would seem to imply that 1) overall fewer men are attempting suicide, but 2) when they do they are far more 'successful' in achieving their aim.

[Timmy40]

Impasse said:

Timmy40 said:

Partly conjecture, without time to do proper research it's hard to say. I did find one study from a Hospital in Oxford that shows female incidences of self harm ( attempted suicide ) to be running at roughly 1.3 times that of Men, but the number of male fatalities runs 4 times higher than for females. Which would seem to imply that 1) overall fewer men are attempting suicide, but 2) when they do they are far more 'successful' in achieving their aim.

Self harm isn't necessarily a suicide attempt so the stats may not be accurate, or at least interpreted to their true meaning.

The paper I was reading was specifically about suicide rates, so in the context of that by self harm they did mean attempted suicide.

[Timmy40]

el stovey said:

Don't marry some grasping harpie that will make you feel misserable because she wants to have more than her friends.

Ah, bingo.

[Timmy40]

Insanity Magnet said:

LucreLout said:

That IS manning up.

Indeed! I was really referring to the stiff upper lip / I'm a rufty-tufty-man so will ignore it approach that often leads to self destruction.

In my experience the problem is one 'Manly' way of dealing with it is to go and drink a skinful, the problem being that I find drinking over time seems to somehow affect my brain chemistry it exacerbates negative thoughts and seems to put me on a negative slope. It also has the side effect of upsetting the Mrs which leads to arguments which makes matters worse in turn. And although I feel like I've slept I always feel tired after a booze sleep.

In short boozing seems to be about as much help as pouring paraffin on a firer to put it out.