Suicide In The United States

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Suicide is defined as the intentional taking of one’s own life. In some European languages, the word for suicide translates into English as “self-murder.” Until the end of the twentieth century, approximately, suicide was considered a criminal act; legal terminology used the Latin phrase felo-de-se, which means “a crime against the self.” Much of the social stigma that is still associated with suicide derives from its former connection with legal judgment, as well as with religious condemnation. In the social climate of 2007, suicidal behavior is most commonly regarded—and responded to—as a psychiatric emergency. Demographics of suicide There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living the United States, and for…show more content…
● A strong interest in or commitment to a project or cause that brings people together: community service, environmental concerns, neighborhood associations, animal rescue groups, etc. Suicide in other countries Suicide has become a major social and medical problem around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that one million people worldwide died from suicide in the year 2000. That is a global mortality rate of 16:100,000—or one death by suicide every 40 seconds. Since the mid-1950s, suicide rates around the world have risen by 60%. Rates among young people have risen even faster, to the point where they are now the age group at highest risk in 35% of the world’s countries. The specific demographics, however, vary from country to country. China’s pattern, for example, is very different from that of most other countries. China has a suicide mortality rate of 23:100,000, with a total of 287,000 deaths by suicide each year. The rate for women is 25% higher than that for men, and rates in rural areas are three times higher than in cities. The means also vary; in China, Sri Lanka, and Turkey the primary means of suicide is ingestion of pesticides, rather than using firearms.…show more content…
Suicide rates are higher in the divorced and widowed than in single people, who in turn have higher suicide rates than married people. This protective effect of marriage on suicide is stronger for men than for women, although it is found for both men and women (Gove 1972). The strong association of divorce with suicide is found at the societal level as well as at the individual level. For example, nations with higher divorce rates have higher suicide rates, U.S. states with higher divorce rates have higher suicide rates and, within nations, years with higher divorce rates have higher suicide rates. This association is probably the most robust association found in suicidology. The associations between marriage rates and suicide rates and between birth rates and suicide rates are not as consistent, although they do tend to be negative associations more often than positive

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