This is a comment by John D on the post “What Makes White, Middle Class Men Kill?“
JPM wrote:
“Unless we move to a society where people are constantly monitored and controlled by the government, really bad things like this are going to happen occasionally, just like lightning strikes.”
John D responded:
“Your analogy makes it sound unavoidable. That’s probably not true in every case. You can put up lightning rods to protect buildings and take other precautions. We can most likely also avoid a lot of this by improving the mental health of men.
“The simple fact is that despite the narrative being that women are much more prone to depression, men account for 80% of all successful suicides. These men typically go past the ‘calling for help’ suicide where they swallow a bottle of pills and then call a friend to tell them what they did and use a permanent method like shooting themselves in the head.
“Asking why so many men feel so helpless and hopeless would not only save the men who self-harm, but most likely avert some of these disasters.”
More Comments of the Day
Photo credit: Flickr / eMagineArt.com
I don’t think that the use of firearms by men is endemic to gender differences or a coincidence. It is because the men that commit suicide (with permanent methods) have fallen far deeper into a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. They do not try to use pills and then contact a friend because they either believe they are not deserving of help or they believe the help is not there. I think this has a lot to do with men internalizing messages that only weak men ask for help. Men’s risk for suicide skyrockets after divorce. And yet, all we… Read more »
One of the reason men are more successful at suicide is that men choose more violent ways to try and end their life. Men are much more likely to grab a firearm or some other weapon to try and take their life. Women are more likely to try with other mean such as an overdose. Both can be lethal but there is higher death rate connected with the firearm than overdose. I only brought this fact up because I believe this is one of the reasons men have a higher rate of suicide. I believe the rate would be much… Read more »
One of the reason men are more successful at suicide is that men choose more violent ways to try and end their life. Men are much more likely to grab a firearm or some other weapon to try and take their life. Women are more likely to try with other mean such as an overdose. Both can be lethal but there is higher death rate connected with the firearm than overdose. I only brought this fact up because I believe this is one of the reasons men have a higher rate of suicide. I believe the rate would be much… Read more »
I agree that saying that men are more successful because of more violent means is a cop out on a much larger societal problem. Studies have shown that women actually attempt suicide more often but men are much more successful in their attempts. I wonder though how many men never have it reported that they tried a suicide attempt. Just like I previously stated men are less inclined to seek out any type of therapeutic help for depression. I will state as a social worker that worked with children’s and families gender roles are changing but it doesn’t mean families… Read more »
I would also say that it’s not just denying men the ability to express emotions that are not happiness, rage, and lust but denying that men can even have emotions outside of that narrow range. Varying from case to case it seems its a matter of “real men don’t cry” (a denial of expression of sadness and pain) and in others is a matter of “real men don’t get sad”. As a part of getting rid of that “real men” bull I agree with what you say at the end. We basically have to kick that notions square in its… Read more »
ht tp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/11/981112075159.htm
Basically men use suicide more as a means to end it all, women use it more as a cry for help.