Suicide in the United States
Suicide is one of the many issues plaguing the public health sector in the United States, affecting people of all ages, genders, religions, and races. Suicide is believed to be the tenth leading cause of death in America, with over 40 thousand people dying from this cause each year (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). While scientists have determined that suicide can be avoided at all costs, it remains a tragic and complicated occurrence in today's society. Identifying channels for assistance, as well as detecting and recognizing the signs and symptoms of potential victims, may be critical for all efforts to avert the threat. Therefore, other than discussing suicide in general, essential attention paid on factors like the risks, methods, racial distribution, age groups, and vulnerability to suicide is imperative to illuminate more on the subject.
Gender Differences in Suicidal Behavior
While women are more likely to think about and attempt suicide, it has been reported by the Center for Disease Control that more men than women would always commit suicide (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). Moreover, men have been reported to choose deadlier and fatal methods of committing suicide, with the use of firearms leading and the engagement of suffocation as the second most lethal option. On the contrary, women use poisoning as a method of choice for committing suicide than their male counterparts. There are many more variables between the statistics of men and women in suicidal scenarios, including age. Indeed, men in the late adulthood developmental stage, 75 and above years, are more vulnerable to committing suicide, just as is the case for women between the age brackets of 45 and 65 years (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). On the other hand, both young adults and children are at the risk of committing suicide in the US, as has been evidenced in the recent past. In fact, the apparent statistics are alarming, in that suicide has been confirmed to be the second most leading manner of death among young adults between 15 and 34 years of age. Based on ethnical and racial differences, it has been reported that Alaska natives and the American Indians are prone to suicide, followed closely in percentage difference of 18 by the non-Hispanic white Americans. Typically, the Hispanics have the second lowest reported cases whereas the African Americans have the most moderate occurrences of suicide in the country. Approximately 0.3 cases of suicide were published in 2007 (Nock et al., 2008).
Risk Factors for Suicide
The risks of committing suicide are diverse and do cut across age, gender, and race alike. Nevertheless, because of the complexity associated with suicide, there is no single and predictable cause for it happening. As such, no particular sign could mean somebody is vulnerable or predisposed to suicide, preferably, the following risk factors are among the many that act as sure pointers for suicidal behavior. The presence of mental disorders and depression especially, as well as substance abuse and extreme medical conditions like the chronic pain is a risk factor. Prior reports about attempted suicide, a history of suicide or drug abuse that led to a similar outcome in the family, plus sexual, family, and communal violence is similarly critical pointers to consider (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). On the other hand, being in possession of firearms, a recent release from jail or prison, being exposed to celebrities of a family member's suicide could as well compromise an individual to remain exposed. It should be noted that despite the presence of these signs and symptoms among many people, they do not commit suicide. Moreover, when somebody is under stress, it should never be interpreted as a pointer to suicide, even though occasionally it happens. Typically, it should be appreciated and recognized that actions and thoughts of suicide are normal symptoms of extreme distress, and not a harmless strain for attention. Hence such should not be ignored. In most cases, both friends and family members are often the first to realize suicidal behavior among the victims, and any pointers identified should be dealt with immediately, because suicide happens suddenly without warning, and anybody timing to solve the situation when the climax approaches could be too late to intervene, because any slight trigger would typically compel a person to take the final step anywhere, any day, any time (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017).
Suicide Cases and Methods
The figure below illustrates the total number of suicide cases, with the methods most practiced to accomplish the crime indicated. Typically, the fact that firearms were the most instruments of achieving the mission in 2005 can be sported at a glance, with an estimated total of 22, 018 people losing their lives to gunfire (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017).
National Institute of Mental Health (2017)
Gender Disparities in Suicide
The figure below illustrates the deaths of suicide in percentages between the two genders, males and females. In 2015, for instance, males succumbed to suicide by means of firearms (55.6) percent, while females had 33.4 percent of the cases indicated.
National Institute of Mental Health (2017)
Risk Factors for Men and the Importance of Research
Men are at more risk of suicide than women because of multiple factors. Some of which include the fact that most men are sole breadwinners for their families hence face more financial challenges, men would typically not have attention and even pieces of advice from other quarters, which would make them feel loved and cared for unlike women, and finally, the attachment of women to their loved ones, including their children, husbands, siblings, and friends, makes them not to let go of the beauty of life by committing suicide. More research about suicide among children is desirable because it might serve to give background information about the vice and help trace the incidence and prevalence of similar cases during adulthood.
References
National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). NIMH » Suicide Understanding, Transforming the and treatment of mental illnesses. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml.%0A%0A%0A
Nock, M. K., Borges, G., Bromet, E. J., Cha, C. B., Kessler, R. C., & Lee, S. (2008). Suicide and suicidal behavior. Epidemiologic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxn002
