Depression - Suicide and the Sexes

This is an article about Suicide and the rampant increase of this final solution in men. While women as a gender seem to attract the media attention, men are in crisis and little is discussed. If you visit sites like the National Institute of Mental Health and the Mayo Clinic, they will state that men are less likely to suffer from depression in relation to women.

The unspoken piece however is the apparent disconnect between the depression rates and the fact that men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Let me tell you that the happy and satisfied man does NOT think about ending his life. Just for the record, this is not a United States problem only. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report using the 2003-04 figures indicates that although suicide is on the decline in Oz, 79% of the victims are male. The report also said that 30-34-year-old men and the highest risk at nearly five times the suicide rate for are

The issue then becomes one of diagnosis and identification. In both professional sites say that men are less likely to admit to depression and doctors are less likely to suspect it. In women however, symptoms are identified and diagnosed as depression about twice as often as men. The reason for this is the apparent ability of women to be more connected to their feelings, while men work to preserve an image of strength.

So men are literally dying because they are unable to express themselves adequately.

Here are a few more startling bits of information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS system

1. Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for males and the sixteenth leading cause of death for females in 2004.
2. Men die by suicide four times the rate of women
3. Men use more lethal methods in suicide attempts.
4. Women attempt suicide more often but are not successful due mainly to their choice of method. (pills, etc.)
5. Almost four times as many men as women in the 15- 19 age group died by suicide.
6. More than six times as many men than women in the 20 - 24 age group died by suicide
7. Non Hispanic older white men aged 85 or older ar at even greater risk of suicide than anyone else in society.

The ongoing risk factors for non fatal suicide attempts are generally addiction, divorce or depression and/or other mental disorders. If you or anyone you know have expressed thoughts about suicide, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

The last frightening piece of information concerning depression suicide and the sexes is the most important.

1. Women tend to take a relatively long time from initial thoughts of suicide to actually making an attempt. Some research has indicated this time frame can be as long as 42 months or 3.5 years.

2. Men take a much shorter time to think through their plans from initial expression of suicide to actually attempting the act. This time frame is somewhere around 12-14 months or just over a year.

Given the lethal tools of choice of male suicide and the higher rate of successfully taking their own life, and this compressed "consideration time" is indeed a serious issue.

Most suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress, not harmless bids for attention. A person who appears suicidal should not be left alone and needs immediate mental-health treatment.

For immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It's toll free and available 24 hours a day, every day: You may call for yourself or for someone you care about. All calls are confidential.

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