why do you think the suicide rate is continuing to increase?

[nembutal]

i have noticed that the government is more inclined to blame Big Tech for the increase in mental illness, and for all the wrong reasons. instead of caring for the wellbeing of children this presumption is used to justify passing laws to censor the internet and eliminate private browsing for the rest of us.

as a gen Zer i can clearly see that most of my generation is experiencing symptoms of mental illnesses that were once attributed to a minority of the population. although suicide is still deemed illogical to most, it seems like many of the youth is struggling with perceiving a personal future or believing they are capable enough to function in society. the unemployment rate and mental health statistics should serve as proof of such.

i am not one to believe that social media is the cause of it all. upon studying my despair i come across concepts such as the constant unwavering acknowledgement of the agony of the modern human condition, hopelessness for humanity's ability to eliminate greed and prioritize social betterment, and an inability to find a support system outside of professional help.

i believe that the rising suicide rate of my generation can be mostly attributed to a newfound desire to escape the rat race clashing with the immense social pressure to settle into a "cog-in-machine" lifestyle. if you were to attribute the rise of suicide to one modern factor what would it be? do you agree that the digitalization of daily living is a fierce motivator, or perhaps increased access to non-painful methods of CTB? i'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[Plentiful_Despair]

Because humanity is shit and everythings getting worse. Many young men have also realized that they can never have girlfriends, a family, or anything hopeful at all. This planet is doomed and everyone who's not a complete moron can see it.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I agree with you. I don't think it's just one simple thing. I also agree that the younger people here definitely seem to share this sense of disillusionment with society and little desire to become part of it and- I don't blame them.

If I were to blame one thing, I suppose it would be financial inequality. It's that that forces us into wage slavery and doing jobs we have no interest in. That said, perhaps that isn't entirely true either. Some younger members here clearly don't really have financial worries as their parents are supporting them- begrudgingly or not.

One difference I've definitely noticed between me and my Dad and Grandparents. I'm Generation X, he's a Baby Boomer- is that I've largely rejected the sense of responsibility he clearly feels. Towards lots of things. I work but begrudgingly but I don't have the same sense of pride or obligation to keep the home and garden tidy. I don't really keep myself all that tidy! I think older generations felt more obliged to conform to things- including staying alive! They maybe felt more responsibility towards others to keep going and obey the rules. I guess it's maybe the rise of individualism that has encouraged us to question what we want and question social norms and authority. I suppose it's that willingness to challenge and break the rules combined with the audacity I suppose to even look at the world and think/ say- it's all so unfair, it sucks and I want no part of it. I suspect there are places in the world still where people aren't allowed to question. I wonder if their suicide rates are higher or lower. If they are higher, is it because they're aware that there are more liberal ways of living out there and, they feel trapped?

But, I feel like it's simply that life is hard. People are struggling financially, socially. Our healthcare systems are crumbling (in the UK at least.) People feel less obliged to put up with it when they are encouraged to think freely- maybe selfishly and, decide for themselves.

 

[NeverReallyHere]

The internet and social media certainly haven't helped, but like every new technology, it's less the technology itself which is the problem and more the market paradigms which cause it to be implemented and run without any regard to its users' well-being, or to the well-being of society as a whole (in this case prioritising "engagement" over everything else). These same market paradigms are what causes us to value ourselves and others according to our "market value" rather than any subjective value we might have as human beings in our own right.

Combine this with the gradual removal of the material rewards which had been available to previous generations for being a "cog in the machine" (home ownership, a family, a secure job, etc) and add in a dose of social and environmental breakdown, and you get a potent recipe for alienation and despair.

 

[divinemistress36]

Lack of community and more isolation

 

[GuessWhosBack]

if you were to attribute the rise of suicide to one modern factor what would it be?

There is a stark disconnect between:

• How human brains have evolved to perceive and navigate the world
• How the world must be perceived and navigated by humans

That has been amplified in the last few decades. (A lot of good has also happened)

Although most of us can adapt and overcome this, I think there's a rising proportion of the population which is falling behind and coping maladaptively. Without proper guidance and awareness of today's complex world, people can easily make mistakes that cause significant dents in their QoL.

 

[graysme]

Modern society gives the freedom to everyone to make babies. Very sick individuals make babies just to give themselves a purpose, and end up creating depressed people that had to go through terrible things. Also, nowadays I think most of us struggle to find a purpose in life. We are born in a time where faith in everything is at an all time low, where we realized that life is not just a checklist that you can complete to be 100% happy. I honestly don't know what to live for at the moment.

Also, I think even 200 years ago we didn't even have the time to think about all this, because we were so busy trying to survive and get food (also we didn't know what therapy was). The paradox of the human mind.

 

[Ironborn]

Existence now is being a slave to an economic system designed to keep you poor and take as much money of yours as possible to line the pockets of the already super rich. It's a miserable way of living.

 

[nembutal]

it's honestly surprising to me how much research i've done over the last hour without finding a conclusive answer. all i come across is older generations trying to place their own political spin on their answers. so far ive heard:
- decrease of emotional intelligence which bred a slew of incels and girlbosses who cannot comingle
- we don't read books (???)
- social media ofc

idk as someone who has chronic suicidality and can clearly state that it boils down to the simple fact that there is no space for mental illness in my country i find it baffling that no one speaks on the pressures of capitalism and how ableist society is naturally.

i really can't fathom people killing themselves and stating loneliness, stress, hopelessness etc as their reasoning without delving deeper into where those feelings come from. the answer is almost always some faction of capitalism.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

I'm not sure the "rate" is really increasing. The total numbers might be increasing as a whole, but the population is, also, increasing. If the suicide numbers fluctuate a bit, thereby driving the numbers a little higher for one accounting, and possibly a little lower the next, I would take that as normal ebbs and flows.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Sometimes I wonder if we are the most mentally ill generation or if it just seems this way due to more people a part of Gen Z being more open about mental health, leading to people being more likely to notice any symptoms of mental illness and being more likely to seek out a diagnosis for it...

 

[Lady Laudanum]

Sometimes I wonder if we are the most mentally ill generation or if it just seems this way due to more people a part of Gen Z being more open about mental health, leading to people being more likely to notice any symptoms of mental illness and being more likely to seek out a diagnosis for it...

I would say it's likely a combination of both, with a more significant effect from the latter. However, I'm not a mental health professional or a researcher, so what the hell do I know about mental health at the level of the population?

 

[kilowatt]

People are slowly realizing being a corporate slave is no way to live

 

[ham and potatoes]

i think there is several reasons
i think a major one is the wealth gap, and the cost of living.
our wages havent been keeping up with inflation for decades, its hard to save money, almost imposible to buy a house,
how can anyone be happy in a world where you have to work a ton just to afford basic nessasities like food, and not have any money left over for fun things?
its like working at the mine for script at this point, allot of people just cant get ahead
i make ok money, but still cant afford to buy a house, and probably wont for the forseeable future.

 

[escape_from_hell]

i really can't fathom people killing themselves and stating loneliness, stress, hopelessness etc as their reasoning without delving deeper into where those feelings come from. the answer is almost always some faction of capitalism.

Many neets are still miserable.
Hate to sound negative but I don't think there is any perfect system that will work. Probably the simplest is for ANY system to include euthanasia as the single most fundamental, important service. Then the prolific people can work out the details of their utopia.
Humans will still desire status, and need to shit on others. If it's not capitalism where someone is richer and better in that way, someone will still be taller, stronger, whatever. You'll still need to be socially accepted and basically be a successful bully to excel as a human. Many people who claim to be compassionate are still all about their status which requires those lower than them to maintain.

 

[Rational man]

Theres some very interesting thoughts in this thread. To add, I wondered if more people are realising the utopian vision is becoming a dystopian nightmare. There's a sense that many people are being lead and driven by ideologues which to be honest isn't reflective of the true realities of life which inevitably is riddled with uncertainty, illness, etc. Of course, the situation is worse now. Poverty, and divisiveness, etc.. Just my thoughts of course.

i have noticed that the government is more inclined to blame Big Tech for the increase in mental illness, and for all the wrong reasons. instead of caring for the wellbeing of children this presumption is used to justify passing laws to censor the internet and eliminate private browsing for the rest of us.

as a gen Zer i can clearly see that most of my generation is experiencing symptoms of mental illnesses that were once attributed to a minority of the population. although suicide is still deemed illogical to most, it seems like many of the youth is struggling with perceiving a personal future or believing they are capable enough to function in society. the unemployment rate and mental health statistics should serve as proof of such.

i am not one to believe that social media is the cause of it all. upon studying my despair i come across concepts such as the constant unwavering acknowledgement of the agony of the modern human condition, hopelessness for humanity's ability to eliminate greed and prioritize social betterment, and an inability to find a support system outside of professional help.

i believe that the rising suicide rate of my generation can be mostly attributed to a newfound desire to escape the rat race clashing with the immense social pressure to settle into a "cog-in-machine" lifestyle. if you were to attribute the rise of suicide to one modern factor what would it be? do you agree that the digitalization of daily living is a fierce motivator, or perhaps increased access to non-painful methods of CTB? i'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[Davey36000]

I can only speak for myself: no job stability, difficulty in getting into different careers unless you have a partner, and if you do have a job you work a lot and receive little.

Thinking about the future makes me extremely anxious.

There is artificial scarcity. Food is abundant but in the supermarket is overpriced imo. We shouldn't gatekeep important supplies from each other like that (food), but it's the system we have.

Anxiety in many people is very high and we have reasons for that because our society has lost the plot imo.

 

[nir]

Climate change. Microplastics in everything. Incoming collapse. All that good stuff.

 

[Ariii]

Economy's getting worse. A lot of people are one accident/illness away from bankruptcy. People are realizing that no matter how hard they work, they will never be rich.

 

[ThatGuyOverThere]

Over abundance of dopamine, our mind doses us with dopamine to make the pain of existence bearable, but with the advent of the internet, we have direct access to any form of entertainment we want. So for the last few decades, we gave been over using our dopamine receptors, and thus slowly building up a resistance to it's effects, Such as the motivation to live. So the main contributing factor, to our continued existence, has been harnessed by humans, and due to our addictive personalities we have over used to, to the point it has become redundant, and lost all effects.

 

[Jeav]

Modern society gives the freedom to everyone to make babies. Very sick individuals make babies just to give themselves a purpose, and end up creating depressed people that had to go through terrible things. Also, nowadays I think most of us struggle to find a purpose in life. We are born in a time where faith in everything is at an all time low, where we realized that life is not just a checklist that you can complete to be 100% happy. I honestly don't know what to live for at the moment.

Also, I think even 200 years ago we didn't even have the time to think about all this, because we were so busy trying to survive and get food (also we didn't know what therapy was). The paradox of the human mind.

I adopt your way of seeing things. We didn't take the time to love ourselves or appreciate life. Survival at the expense of the mental health and happiness was the predominant theme of the previous era, and in some way, we inherited this mentality, which pushes us to become economic cogs in these sick societies.

My love for this life was only an illusion, like the love of my parents.

 

[ashtoreth]

Suicide rate, by age

Estimated annual number of suicides per 100,000 individuals in a given demographic. Suicide deaths are underreported in many countries due to social stigma and cultural or legal concerns. This data is based on modeling of global suicide patterns, and includes adjustments that aim to account for...

ourworldindata.org

 

[AAE]

Because society, mass media, politics, health care, everything is steering the world into a direction where many end up completely logically hopeless based on our most natural needs that are being denied, always claiming we're "asking for too much" be it having an own, safe place to live, proper health care or needing someone who loves us. Ask yourself why there are pet shelters where people adopt animals in need but no human shelters where people adopt humans in need, just one example.

The only logic reason for why they keep doing this (except to those who are filthy rich and they can use for that reason) is to reduce population "passively" without any visible blood on their hands for the brainwashed majority. The poorest part of population, mostly, since it's truly all about money, all those in power care about.

Europe is one big war zone where they keep letting millions from far-away violent cultures immigrate even though it's been stated in some studies that as much as 96% might only come here not for refuge but "to get a better life" because propaganda is being spread in their home countries saying everything is free here, and to most of them, it is. Hate crime and racism against the ethnic populations is at its peak yet mass media and politicians keep denying it to the fullest and prosecuting anyone for speaking up about the injustice and suffering since they've changed laws originally created to protect the jews after WW2 to include everyone except the ethnic population. I, as a poor person am forced to live in the same area where I grew up, seeing it turn from an affordable safe haven to a chaotic hell full of the loudest, most violent people I've ever come across, the stress of it all made my mother and I (who are/were both chronically ill) age prematurely and she died… The safer areas always cost way too much because they know that those who can will pay to be able to be safe. Getting a loan to buy an own, safe home is something the poorest can't do and nobody cares. Mass media says it's not true = the majority nods. "Sweden has never been safer" is a common quote from politicians. "Racism against the ethnic population doesn't exist" is another.

Here in Sweden, cutting off our roots and ruining what had almost become a true safe haven of a country is how they get rid of us who are sick and poor. They know just as well as we do that we end up with no hope or die from the stress like my dear mom if we don't get killed for simply being ethnic swedes.

 

[divinemistress36]

Suicide rate, by age

Estimated annual number of suicides per 100,000 individuals in a given demographic. Suicide deaths are underreported in many countries due to social stigma and cultural or legal concerns. This data is based on modeling of global suicide patterns, and includes adjustments that aim to account for...

ourworldindata.org

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