I haven't done psychiatry for 25 years (aka since 3rd year medical school) but all that you say lines up 100% with what I saw way back then and how I can imagine things having gone since.
Wonderfully entertaining and impassioned writing. As someone once forced into inpatient suicide watch by a psychotherapist I trusted, and having gone through the dehumanizing process of psychiatric institutionalization, I really appreciate your consideration of this problem.
(Side note: Women are ~4 times more likely to attempt suicide. And men are ~3 times more likely to complete suicide. Those are 2 different statistics, feel free to combine them. My theory as to what's going on? I plead the fifth.)
At least in the UK, hanging accounted for 59% of male suicides and 45% of female ones. I think this means that the violent method theory only holds up if you think that the category of "suicide attempts" is meaningful. If you do, then there are so many more female suicide attempts that the rate of violent attempts is much lower in women than in men, and the violent method theory can largely explain the difference in the rate of deaths.
If you think that, in the vast majority of case, the only way you really know whether someone wanted to kill themselves is that they actually succeed in doing so, then while men do seem to choose violent methods more often than women, this can only explain a small amount of the difference in the number of men and women who kill themselves.
The worst theory in relation to the disparity between rates of suicide attempts and suicide in men and women, of course, is that women often make suicide attempts with no intention of killing themselves, as a means of getting attention. This theory is dangerous, trivialises real pain, and is misogynist. It is utterly unacceptable. In a social setting, and after drink has been taken, several doctors have told me that it is obviously true.
Great essay, thank you. Hope to read many more in the future
Brilliant essay. Came here from Astral Codex Ten.
I haven't done psychiatry for 25 years (aka since 3rd year medical school) but all that you say lines up 100% with what I saw way back then and how I can imagine things having gone since.
Wonderfully entertaining and impassioned writing. As someone once forced into inpatient suicide watch by a psychotherapist I trusted, and having gone through the dehumanizing process of psychiatric institutionalization, I really appreciate your consideration of this problem.
Dont. You have passions and skills that will contribute to creating a better world
(Side note: Women are ~4 times more likely to attempt suicide. And men are ~3 times more likely to complete suicide. Those are 2 different statistics, feel free to combine them. My theory as to what's going on? I plead the fifth.)
I plead the second. Men are far more likely to use firearms and other violent suicide methods. See https://www.verywellmind.com/gender-differences-in-suicide-methods-1067508 for an outline, although they don't seem to put hard numbers on it.
UK suicide rates in 2018 were 17.2 for men and 5.4 for women (both per 100,000: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2018registrations). With very limited access to firearms - so firearms alone aren't the problem, though I know you don't and your link doesn't say that they are.
At least in the UK, hanging accounted for 59% of male suicides and 45% of female ones. I think this means that the violent method theory only holds up if you think that the category of "suicide attempts" is meaningful. If you do, then there are so many more female suicide attempts that the rate of violent attempts is much lower in women than in men, and the violent method theory can largely explain the difference in the rate of deaths.
If you think that, in the vast majority of case, the only way you really know whether someone wanted to kill themselves is that they actually succeed in doing so, then while men do seem to choose violent methods more often than women, this can only explain a small amount of the difference in the number of men and women who kill themselves.
The worst theory in relation to the disparity between rates of suicide attempts and suicide in men and women, of course, is that women often make suicide attempts with no intention of killing themselves, as a means of getting attention. This theory is dangerous, trivialises real pain, and is misogynist. It is utterly unacceptable. In a social setting, and after drink has been taken, several doctors have told me that it is obviously true.
Do you think lack of access to firearms would reduce that disparity?