This week, two high-profile people reportedly committed suicide – American fashion designer Kate Spade, and American celebrity chef, author, and television personality Anthony Bourdain.
It’s sad to imagine what these two individuals – and countless others around the world – must have gone through in the weeks and days leading up to their untimely deaths.
One of the things The Weight She Carries hopes to create is a platform where we can come together as women and discuss issues that affect us, and provide a sense of community.
Unfortunately, suicide is a topic many people avoid despite the fact that it is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. It’s not an issue that only impacts the lives of those who have lost loved ones to suicide, it affects us all.
The questions is: What do we do to prevent suicide?
Studies have shown that while women tend to have more suicidal thoughts than men, the suicide rate is higher among men than it is among women.
USA
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1999 and 2016, suicide rates increased in the US by over 25 percent. The CDC also found that 54 percent of the people who died by suicide did not have a known mental health condition.
UK
Of the registered deaths in the UK in 2016, the highest age-specific suicide rate (15.5 per 100,000 persons) was between the 40-44 age group, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported. When it came to women specifically, the age group with the highest rate for women was 50 to 54 years (8.3 per 100,000).
World
According to a report by World Health Organization (WHO), the top 20 countries with the highest suicide rates for women in 2015 (per 100,000 population) were:
Guyana – 15.5
Sierra Leone – 14.7
Cote d’ Ivoire – 14.4
Bolivia – 14.4
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – 14.3
Angola 14.3
India – 14.2
Sri Lanka – 13.3
Equatorial Guinea – 13.2
Suriname – 12.6
Zimbabwe – 10.3
Burkina Faso – 10.1
Bhutan – 9.9
Nigeria – 9.9
Lao People’s Democratic Republic – 9.9
Kazakhstan – 9.6
Swaziland – 9.6
China – 9.5
Central African Republic – 9.3
Japan 9.2
What do you think about these statistics? What factors do you think play into these rates? Do you live in one of the countries with a high suicide rate for women? What do you think is the reason for this? What can we do as women to prevent suicide?
Also, what about the bit about women having more suicidal thoughts than men, but suicide rate is higher for men? Here’s an interesting piece on this.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Chime in below!
