Suicide Rates DOUBLE in Australia Over Last 10 Years

[Ed]

http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/bulletin23/bulletin23-2.html

What are they doing wrong? Perhaps a Mommy Goverment is too much to bear? Clearly their environment is not as conducive to ongoing existance as it might be.

We can only look on in our smug, superior way.

[rikzilla]

AUP's data mining has finally met it's match!

Bravo my Lord Ed, BRAVO!

[Malachi151]

As a comparison:

http://www.pbs.org/fmc/book/images/8heal4.gif

Their numbers apper to be way higher than American numbers.

[CFLarsen]

Excuse me, but could someone please point out where they have "doubled"?

[CFLarsen]

Suicide rates for selected male age groups, Australia 1979-1998
Deaths per 100,000 population
<table width=50% border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 1979 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 1998 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> Chance (percent) </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>15-19 y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>12 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>17.5 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 45.8% </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>20-39 y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>23 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>28 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 21.7% </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>40+ y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>25 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>25 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>0% </td> </tr></table>
Suicide rates for selected female age groups, Australia 1979-1998
Deaths per 100,000 population
<table width=50% border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 1979 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 1998 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> Chance (percent) </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>15-19 y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>3.5 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>5.5 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 57.1% </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>20-39 y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>8 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>8.5 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top> 6.25% </td> </tr> <TR> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>40+ y </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>10.5 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>7 </td> <td width=25% align=left valign=top>-33.3% </td> </tr></table>

[Nikk]

Originally posted by Ed
http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/bulletin23/bulletin23-2.html

What are they doing wrong? Perhaps a Mommy Goverment is too much to bear? Clearly their environment is not as conducive to ongoing existance as it might be.

We can only look on in our smug, superior way.

Well according tothis article (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s690232.htm) suicide rates rise under conservative governments. The aussies are voting for the wrong party.

In the US of course the poor shoot each other with such enthusiasm that they don't survive long enough for depression to set in.:D

[Judith]

Something along the line of? 'This welfware state is getting me down.Goodbye cruel world!!'
Somehow I doubt it

[Shane Costello]

Originally posted by Judith:
Something along the line of? 'This welfware state is getting me down.Goodbye cruel world!!'
Somehow I doubt it

Or maybe it is the case. (www.mcdl.org/Stats/gnpsuicide.htm)

[Cain]

Originally posted by Shane Costello


Or maybe it is the case. (www.mcdl.org/Stats/gnpsuicide.htm)

:rolleyes:

Yeah, so, um, I guess the Netherlands has a less extensive welfare state than the U.S.


http://www.suicidology.org/associations/1045/files/2001statepg.pdf

Look, the more liberal-leaning states have lower suicide rates than conservative ones!

[Ed]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CFLarsen
[B]Suicide rates for selected male age groups, Australia 1979-1998
Deaths per 100,000 population
[QUOTE]


Quite right, my bad, misread the graph. This is not to say, however, that it should not be higher or that it will not be higher in the future.

In any event, the damage is done and the thread careens, out of control, down the dueling economics system path.

I am evil.

Tho' this result was unintentional on my part (for which I apologise) I must say that the process is fascinating to watch.

[CFLarsen]

Originally posted by Ed
I am evil.

An evil god? Hmmm...that is actually an interesting question....

Originally posted by Ed
Tho' this result was unintentional on my part (for which I apologise) I must say that the process is fascinating to watch.

Go away and sin no more! :D

[The Fool]

Originally posted by rikzilla
AUP's data mining has finally met it's match!

Bravo my Lord Ed, BRAVO!
ooops..... Bravo My lord rik, fine example of true belief in the face of poor statistical analysis....

[evildave]

If an Aussie hangs himself, does he fall "up"?

[aerocontrols]

Originally posted by evildave
If an Aussie hangs himself, does he fall "up"?

and he twists the opposite direction.

[Zep]

Alas, however, suicide rates here are disturbingly high. That is, I'm certainly not about to argue that they are comfortably acceptable at all. And it is being taken seriously by governments and other support bodies.

Curiously, suicide seems to be becoming more prevalent amongst students facing the HSC - that's the Higher School Certificate exams - the major public exams at the end of Year 12 on which university entrance and jobs depend. So much pressure...

[peptoabysmal]

*oops, double post*

[peptoabysmal]

And the point of comparing Australia to the US is... ??

Talk about apples and oranges. Take guns away and people don't die from bullet wounds... duh. Take cars away and people don't die in automobile accidents... duh. Take alcohol away and people don't become drunks... duh. Oh wait, prohibition didn't work too well in the US, did it? Gun prohibition in the US won't work any better. The thing is, who wants to live like that; with a mommy government doing everything to keep it's little babies safe and warm?

[Zep]

It's too hot and it's not raining. MUST be the Mummy Gubmint's fault. waa waa waa. I know! I'll make a pointless comparison about something unrelated instead. :rolleyes:

Actually, in suicides, I think it IS fairly OK to make comparisons between Australia and the USA. We have similar lifestyles and outlooks, have similar communities, etc. Perhaps the reasons why suicides occur in both our societies are due to similarities we share... Worth a look anyway.

As for guns in this, the only thing I will says is that a gun makes any attempt at suicide WAY more likely to be immediately "successful"...

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by Zep
It's too hot and it's not raining. MUST be the Mummy Gubmint's fault. waa waa waa. I know! I'll make a pointless comparison about something unrelated instead. :rolleyes:

LOL, I can tell you are from "Down Under", because you completely inverted my argument. I don't blame the government for my troubles or my success; I just want less of it, and less control from it in my daily life.

Actually, in suicides, I think it IS fairly OK to make comparisons between Australia and the USA. We have similar lifestyles and outlooks, have similar communities, etc. Perhaps the reasons why suicides occur in both our societies are due to similarities we share... Worth a look anyway.
What societies do suicides *not* occur in?
Aside from destroying both our country’s' indigenous peoples, I think there are a lot of differences in philosophy and action between the US and Australian civilizations.


As for guns in this, the only thing I will says is that a gun makes any attempt at suicide WAY more likely to be immediately "successful"...
Well, yeah. Is this natural selection at work? Will I have to give up my right to use firearms so that some loser will have a better chance of surviving his/her suicide attempt?

What is this strong attraction to the lowest common denominator?

edited to correct tags

[Zep]

Originally posted by peptoabysmal
What societies do suicides *not* occur in?

Those that drink Kool-Aid when their esteemed religious leader says to? All societies have suicides, and people will find a way to do it. Many can also be talked out of it too. But it's awfully hard to rescue someone who has blown their brains out...

Aside from destroying both our country’s' indigenous peoples, I think there are a lot of differences in philosophy and action between the US and Australian civilizations.

As with the US First Nations, not ALL Australia's indigenous civilisations were destroyed (including the Tasmanians, contrary to popular myth). Certainly they suffered very badly, and this is a great shame in our own history too. But that is beside THIS point.

Yes, there are a lot of differences between us we could highlight, but we share a great deal in common too. More than you may realise.

Well, yeah. Is this natural selection at work? Will I have to give up my right to use firearms so that some loser will have a better chance of surviving his/her suicide attempt?

Would you be prepared to take much tighter and regulated control of your firearms (NOT "give them up") in order that someone close to you is not given the opportunity to take a rash and irreversible action in a moment of despondency?

[Iconoclast]

Originally posted by peptoabysmal
Will I have to give up my right to use firearms so that some loser will have a better chance of surviving his/her suicide attempt?

What is this strong attraction to the lowest common denominator?
Perhaps you should ask one of the "losers" in this thread (http://host.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29821) about it.

[The Fool]

Originally posted by peptoabysmal


Well, yeah. Is this natural selection at work? Will I have to give up my right to use firearms so that some loser will have a better chance of surviving his/her suicide attempt?

What is this strong attraction to the lowest common denominator?

edited to correct tags
No Pep, its probably not natural selection. Do you have the same attitude towards cancer patients?

[Darat]

Originally posted by Ed
...snip...

Tho' this result was unintentional on my part (for which I apologise) I must say that the process is fascinating to watch.

I agree.

Suicide Rates DOUBLE in Australia Over Last 10 Years to GUN CONTROL IS EVIL/GOOD!!!! within a matter of a few posts, is this a new record?

Think I'll try an experiment, start a thread titled, "Leeds is a good place to have the Royal Armouries Museum" and see how long it takes for that to get to GUN CONTROL IS EVIL/GOOD!!!!.

[evildave]

This has a BIG friendly graph about international suicide rates.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_sui_rat_gen_rat

Guess what?

These figures shows the U.S. with a higher suicide rate than Australia (around 1995~1996).

Let's see if I can dig up more recent data...
http://www.spanusa.org/charts.html

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S., and a bigger killer among young people in the prime of their lives.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/03facts/mortalitytrends.htm

11 Intentional self-harm (suicide)...............*U03,X60 –X84,Y87.0 30,622 1.3 10.8 10.7 2.9 4.6 0.5 0.5

That's 30,622 suicides, 1.3% of deaths, 10.8 deaths per population of 100,000, per year, in 2001.

Of course, the U.S. has some regional spotlights as well. New Mexico, Montana and Nevada seem to be our leading states.

http://www.spanusa.org/images/USrates2001.gif

I don't seem to easily be able to find near as neat-o a set of graphs and charts and pictures for Australia with dates newer than 1996.

[Ed]

Originally posted by Darat


I agree.

Suicide Rates DOUBLE in Australia Over Last 10 Years to GUN CONTROL IS EVIL/GOOD!!!! within a matter of a few posts, is this a new record?

Think I'll try an experiment, start a thread titled, "Leeds is a good place to have the Royal Armouries Museum" and see how long it takes for that to get to GUN CONTROL IS EVIL/GOOD!!!!.


That's not even funny. Some topics are sacrosanct.

[Soapy Sam]

Looking at that histogram of Shane's, I'd say the most dangerous common factor seems to be snow. Or is it that snowy places are high dollar?

[Zep]

Hmmmm. That's interesting info, evildave. I was under an impression (from possibly biased sources, I must admit) that the Australian suicide rates, especially amongst young men, was about on par with the USA and a number of other western countries. Which suggested that firearms issues were pretty much irrelevant when it came to the intention to suicide, whereas the methods of suicides tended more to guns in the US, and hanging, suffocation or drugs here. But I will definitely need to seek more data to form a clearer picture.

I would be curious to also see the ratios of successful versus attempted suicides. Perhaps answers lie there too.

[Luciana]

I have the references here, but maybe this a subject for another thread. The correlation is obvious, I can't ascertain causation. But one thing is clear - the richest and coldest states in Brazil have a very high suicide rate, probably comparable to those in Australia. Now, the suicide rates for the poorest areas - and I'm talking about poor even to a poor country - is extremely low. Less than 1/100,000. I'd have to check for the exact numbers, but that's the trend, which I don't seem to find in the US map shown below. The issue is certainly more complex than it seems, but in Brazil the difference is staggering between suicide rates of the rich/poor.