Jokerman

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4738796a11.html

I've always wondered about the high rates of suicide in NZ. In the media you are not allowed to report that somebody killed themselves. It is reported euphemistically "so and so died and there were no suspicious circumstances".

brussels_sprout

Male suicide ounumbers suicide by between 5 and 10 men to every 1 female suicide in every age group
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1175/460/

Of course because it is mainly males who kill themselves, little is done by governments worldwide. If it was women killing themselves in such a ratio millions would be spent on them, like for breast cancer as opposed to prostate cancer. Men die in 95% of industrial accidents, live shorter lives, nothing is done simply because we have penises ! Very little research is done to find out why it is males committing suicide.

Jokerman

Yeah, I have a hunch it's related to the 'staunchness' of kiwi blokes who can't talk about stuff that is bothering them. It's a sign of weakness to show any emotion here - or ask for help - ain't it?

southerner

I agree - and it also takes a certain stauchness to actually carry out the deed.

luvwelly

Well seeing as men comprise most of the politicians in the world, you've only got your own sex to blame for it

sananddave

Sadly this appears to be the same here in the UK with the ratio of men commiting suicide being much higher than the females - any suicide is so very very sad and it brings it closer to home when our son who is just 29 years old has been to 3 of his friends funerals within the last year -all of whom took their own lives- so yes indeed we need to be addressing this issue much more as it is getting more common place and one life lost to this is one life too many. I used to work in a very high pressure call centre and daily I would witness at least one female empoyee break down in tears and that used to make me think whats it doing to the guys as they have to hold the emotion in as its not acceptable for them to cry!!! This is only one angle on it but there are soooooooooo many problems out there in this world and it affects us in all different ways. I wish I had a magic wand to help everyone in this state of mind as I , like so many others have suffered with depression and its no fun so lets hope that in our own little ways we can help someone whos down and try to make a difference in their lives no matter how small the gesture may be as sometimes it means a lot to know theres someone who cares.
Sandra.

Patrick2007

Dont forget to add cowardice to that by the way. The rates are frightening considering the lifestyle has so much on offer

brussels_sprout

Do you think that depression and suicide are linked Sandra ? I suppose it is sort of obvious, but i am not so sure .... I will research this ! I wonder if all the teenage boys that you mention had depression ? (very sorry to hear about this, btw)

Yes men are expected to "take it like a man" and we have no "network" or much support of any kind. Women LIKE men to be, well, men, but in case of legal battles between the sexes, this suddenly translates into "agressive and controlling behaviour" and used as an excuse to brand men as "violent"

Also feminised laws are taking toll on men, after marital breakups typically initiated by spiteful women bored with their marriages, men have an extremely high suicide rate. Millions of tax payers' money is provided by the Ministry for women and womens' groups, there is NO equivalent for men, we are expected to just exist with our children and houses stolen from us by laws that turn divorced dads into visitors in their kids' lives , and men are turned into government slaves paying 30-40% of their salary in child support. Having another family is no longer an option after these CS payments. NZ government is far more interest in collecting Child Support than caring about suicide in men.

And, yes LuvWelly, politicians are on the whole male, in the majority (and so are the police), but they are following a feminist agenda since the 70s and many still have the ancient notion that men must have "chivalry" in relations to women. Contrarily, i think MORE (heterosexual) NZ female politicians would change this bias against males and they would correct the terrible imbalances against MEN in NZ

luvwelly

Very true and just as Mothers should be bringing up sons to be independent and not wait on them too much, lest they always expect females to do this, we should also encourage them to express their emotions more....and be just as emotionally supportive of boys as we are of girls/females/friends etc etc . Tears are a good release.....it's healthy and doesn't have to be done in public.

mickey_d

Suicides all over the world are very high in rural/farming communities, so for New Zealand it's not really surprising I suppose.

brussels_sprout

Silly Silly Silly You will NEVER be able to turn young men into women, this is a really perverse thought. This is a single mother talking, what young men need are GOOD FATHERS IN THEIR LIVES ! Nearly half of kids in NZ do not sleep in same house as their natural father. I am sure that this is the primary cause of rising suicide rates in males ! Feminising men WILL NEVER WORK

New Zealand and Oz are amongst the most urban countries in the world, most of the NZ population live in just 3 cities, NZ suicide rate is nothing to do with rural living ! Yes the incidence of suicide in famers is high in general , but NZ is an urban country, much more than England !

luvwelly

Well I was happily married with kids last time I checked . So if men continue as they have..their politicians not helping them with prostate screening, their parents telling them never to cry..nothing will change and their suicide rate will remain higher....

brussels_sprout

This thread is about INCREASING suicides, most of which are males , i tried to explain WHY they are increasing. I have explained that the answer is to have strong male bonds in boys' lives, men which have been forced out of kids lives for the last 30 years, Your answer seems to be to turn boys into girls

Do you have any sons LuvWelly ? ( glad to hear that you are happily married btw )

luvwelly

That is not what I suggested..merely that 'stiff upper lip' is not always best.....the good men in my family have all shed tears at funerals....bottling emotions up helps no one.

Just discuss feelings then..you don't have to cry about them....at least men don't get the hormonal changes women do.
Of course sons benefit from positive male role models in their lives...my kids currently do have that.

I suspect depression levels in NZ might be linked to geographical isolation - yes most people live in towns...but there is miles of countryside in between you and the next town.....airfares to somewhere different are hard to scrape together.

garryhg

I have to agree with you,suicide wont stop just because they have a father in their life...a lot of the kids that have comitted suicide will have had there fathers there and probably quite supportive fathers too..IMHO speaking to your kids,listening to them and observing changes in them and YES letting them have some kind of release,a good old cry never hurt anyone(MALE or FEMALE)...and this doesn't turn them into women

I think people who comitt suicide have to be depressed or there is so many young kids dabbling in drugs these days,it distorts there outlook on life and makes them that low that this is the only way out,it must be a nightmare for them....just my opinion...Jacky