THREE IN EVERY FOUR SUICIDES ARE MEN

Figures from the Office of National Statistics early this year showed that of the 5,377 poor people who committed suicide during 2007, 4,085 were men and 1,292 were women. It means for every four people who take their own life, three are men. Over statistics are here and here.

This sad statistic shows that the Government and health agencies need to ensure they have the support services available to help depressed men and of course women.

What is of concern is the scant attention this situation receives and the fear is that whilst the figures in 2007 were the lowest recorded (since 1991), the present recession is likely to see an increase.

Previous posts on this subject can be found here and here.

Comments

[John Kimble]

Great article, but you've actually downplayed the seriousness of the issue by highlighting the number of suicides rather than the suicide rate itself.

Due to better healthcare, being at much less risk from violence and general female privileges, women live longer than men and thus there are significantly more of them around.

Thus the 1292 cases of female suicide are from a larger population compared to the 5,377 males.

The actual suicide rates are 5.0 per 100,000 for females and 16.8 for men.

Your article implies men have it 3 times worse than women. This is misleading and it is actually 3.36 times worse for men.

I know it's a relatively small difference but that represents hundreds of suicides.

Those suicides could easily represent the difference between having a sexist misandric government as we have now, or having one that cares about men.

In fact, looking at the graph again, the 0.36 makes all the difference really. In 1991 men were indeed exactly 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women compared to 3.36 tiems mroe likely now. I.e. in percentage terms the gender suicide gap is worse.

I suppose it could be something as a compliment to the author to show he is in fact so honest, balanced and fair minded that he is downplaying discrimination against men. That's certainly the opposite of the average sort of behavior one would find in the feminist community, where learning untruthful made up statistics seems to be the main rite of passage.

[groan]

Very good point. As with the recent relelatons about cancers mental health is an area where there is clear evidence that men miss out on support, formal and informal. On the positive side there is plenty of evidence that a focus on men's health (often just making sure information is available so not costly) can pay dividends. In health stuff often "people" are referred to and "women" but rarely men, as if we are somehow ashamed of talking about men.

[M]

Great post. We have a similar problem here in the US, and what is interesting is that the differential between male and female suicides is entirely made up of divorced and separated men. See my post here:

http://misformalevolent.blogspot.com/2005/11/s-is-for-suicide-revisited.html

[amfortas]

Everyone has their breaking point. The masses of money and public empathy for women gives them support in times of deep depression or when great pressures are upon them, but men get NOTHING. Nada, Ziltch.

Men endure. They HAVE to endure far and away better and more often than women are even prepared to, as evidenced in all of our 'Services' from Military to Firefighting to drain cleaning and telegraph pole climbing to deep sea fishing and going down the mines.

So it can be assumed, realistically, that the pressures upon men are immense for the suicide rate to be ONLY three times as much as women.

Men are not only being asked every day to sacrifice, but NO-ONE cares. Our society does not care that men suffer and endure, and die.