72% of all suicides are white males. why?

[expatriot]

According to 1999 statistics.

Is it just because we have better access to handguns? That can't be the underlying reason is it?

I mean proportionally speaking, whites are much more likely to commit suicide than non-whites in this country and men were 4 times more likely to be successful. of course they say it is because men are more likely to use guns and women tend to use pills or hack at their wrists, but this does not explain WHY women use less "sure" methods.

So what is it?

[More Than A Feeling]

1. Delete for ignorance and stupidity

[HEyHEY]

5. ...

[More Than A Feeling]

6. I deserved that. I'm sorry.

You're right, of course, its no joking matter.

[imenja]

2. they are more pent up emotionally

Men aren't as good at communicating as women. They keep anger bottled up inside. They are thus more likely to engage in violence, against themselves or others.

Why white over other men, I'm not sure.

[Djinn]

3. don't know about the differences beteen ethnicities

but my take on the female/male rates of and methods of suicide are down to plain gender conditioning. Women don't like to make a mess, they prefer non violent means, they're not allowed to be aggresive so an overdose is more in keeping with everything they've been brought up to beleive about their gender than a shotgun.

Also most people who slash their wrists aren't actually trying to die, they're seeking attention (and that's not meant in a perjorative sense) it's quite hard to kill yourslef by slashing, even if you can get a decent amount of blood flowing it'll take a fair amount of bottle to sit there and relatively slowly bleed to death, most people even if they meant to die get scared when the blood starts and get help. It's only a quick method if you sever an artery which isn't all that easy.

I think the fact that men tend to be more "decisive" about suicide is again down to conditioning, they're expected to be decisive and folow through women are expected to be a bit more reflective. Women also have more experience talking through their problems so are possibly less likely to feel suicide is the only optiuon in the first place and if they make an attempt they will get into the psych system in which they would be more comfortable in than many men who have been conditioned to just "deal with it"

I dunno just a theory.

[ugarte]

4. White males, as a group, believe in the fairness of the system

Therefore when they fail, who they gonna blame? They turn their anger inward, or scapegoat a minority.

[Swamp Rat]

7. What statistics?

What population sample? Is this about Sweden?

[Floogeldy]

9. Yea I want a link to those alleged statistics

[Skittles]

8. emphasis is placed on women's looks their entire lives

I think they just don't want to leave a mess

[Az]

10. I would suspect a couple of issues

All broad tendencies. The tendency to resolve crisis by action rather than expression. Aggression as suicide is an aggressive act. A lack of socially expected emotional bonding between others. This leaves males more isolated during emotion crisis. All these would add up to males being more likely to keep things buried inside and when it becomes too much they turn to action rather than talking about it.

[Hello_Kitty]

11. I believe I read once that men are more prone to suicide

After the breakup of a relationship. I can see this because many guys rely completely on their significant others for emotional support, whereas women will tend to have more people available to them for this.

[warrens]

12. Men are expected to succeed, no matter what, particularly whites

when someone fails, they don't have a fall back.

[sonicx]

13. here's a link for those asking...

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/suicideprevention/suifact.cfm

More men than women die by suicide.
The gender ratio is 4:1.
73 percent of all suicide deaths are white males.
80 percent of all firearm suicide deaths are white males.

[Omphaloskepsis]

14. Men kill themself..

becuase they failed at playing the role of breadwinner. I fear my sister is in the same situation.

This shithead ahhhhh:http://www.oregonlive.com/special/longo/index.ssf?/special/oregonian/longo/042703.html

And we had another pull the same shit. Forgot his name. He ran to the east.

[ClintonTyree]

16. I think you're correct in that assumption...

men are conditioned to be the bread winners, the guardians of their wives and children. When something catastrophic happens they seriously doubt their ability to perform these tasks and deem themselves failures. Peer pressure, socio-economic pressure, and ingrained stereotypes make for a pressure cooker that many men see as an unbearable burden when they're faced with failure.
Suicide is the ultimate resignation to that perceived failure.

[zippy890]

15. Men are less likely to seek help

Especially young men.

To admit they have serious emotional/psychiatric problems is unmanly and considered 'weak'. They treat their depression with alcohol/drugs which complicates matters.

Women are less likely to use violent means, and more likely to seek help.