The celebrities make the news, but those who are not also suffer from the issues of everyday life and, if they commit suicide, it doesn't make news. It's just another sorry statistic, even though the numbers are high. Globally, 10 in 100,000 people take their own lives and firearms, pesticides and hanging are the most-used methods used. Since the start of the economic crisis in 2008, suicide rates have surged and, nearly everywhere, more men end their own life than women, at the rate of 3 to 1. In Europe, the number of men committing suicide is close to 25 per 100,000 and women 6.8.
The five main emotional signs to be aware of are - depression or general unhappiness; anxiety; moodiness or anger; feeling overwhelmed; and loneliness or isolation. Suicides are most common in men over 70, although in some countries the highest risk is in the 15 - 30 age bracket. Up to 20 million people worldwide attempt suicide annually and, in 2015, 828,000 actually died in this way, making it the 10th leading cause of death. To appreciate the numbers, imagine more than the entire population of The Netherlands attempting suicide each year, or all the people in Belgium and Greece combined; it's a lot of people. These vast numbers make it difficult to understand and appreciate how an individual man, woman, or child feels when contemplating suicide; the anguish and pain they are suffering must be heart wrenching. Each person has decided to end their life, unable to find a solution to their problems.
As a believer in assisted dying for the old and terminally ill, I am not against choosing when to die, but it's the circumstances and state of mind that concerns me when there is a suicide. It’s a lonely, desperate way to end one's life and, in many cases, can even be seen as selfish. A person, unable to cope with their problems, either mental or physical, cannot find a solution, so makes their final choice. Their family is likely to be devastated and find it difficult to understand. Although help groups, such as the Samaritans, do a fantastic job, they can only act when approached and, in many cases, the person committing suicide does not seek help.
With the stresses of modern-day life, the problem is not going to go away; people will continue to take their own lives, but it is a sad, sorry way to leave this wonderful world. Maybe, we should use more resources to find a way to help those with a suicidal tendency and treat it as a serious illness that can be cured.