Chapter 12

RATES OF SUICIDE

Saxby Pridmore

Abstract

The suicide rates of different groups are different and relatively stable. This fact cautions against simplistic explanations and quick-fixes for the problem of suicide. The global suicide rate remained relatively stable from 1960 to 2000, however the gender gap widened. In western and English speaking countries, the male suicide rate is around 3 times greater than the female. Globally, there is an increase in suicide rate with age, but in western and English speaking countries, there is bimodality, with one peak for young adults and another for the aged. The much publicised increase in suicide rate among the young has receded since 1997. Individual nations have different, relatively stable suicide rates. There are very high suicide rates among some indigenous people (the Inuit of Canada and Greenland, the First Nations of North America, the Maori of New Zealand and the Aborigines of Australia), which can be attributed to exposure to a “dominant culture”.

Total Pages: 116-129 (14)

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