I wonder how much fatalism culture plays into it, meaning basically "life is shit" and suicide memes. I'm not sure if they even encourage discussion or just put those kind of thoughts into the heads of people more. I don't really been able to articulate it but self deprecation/depression humor seems more popular in recent years, at least on the internet, and I think it's a bane more than a boon. Not saying it's the sole cause of the increase in the suicide rate but I think it plays a role. edit: I guess all that is just based on a general lack of hope in the future. which is bigger than just shitty jokes. I'd like to here others thoughts on what they think is the reason for such a large increase
There's no reason. There are reasons. We live in a shallow consumer culture where our values are out of line with what actually makes us happy. We're connected in the most superficial ways so when shit hits the fan we don't have a reliable network of people to ask for help. We have no job security, no social safety net, no pensions so we have economic insecurity. We have networks of misery echo chambers on the internet for unhealthy people to gather and reinforce their unhealthy behavior. We have very little effective means to treat depression. The ones we have are difficult to obtain for some. Impossible for some too. Seeking treatment itself is stigmatized in some cases. Drug and alcohol treatment is in most instances in the US based on the religious ramblings of a narcissistic asshole who was born in the 19th century I could go on. It's a complex problem that doesn't lend itself to quick analysis on the back of a story about a statistical increase
I mean If you're going to talk, and you think it's a a more complex problem than what you mentioned i would like to read it. I see what you're saying though, there's a lot to it. I'm bad about accepting things as unfortunate realities instead of looking for how things can be changed, as in, we can out more money into providing mental health care but can we do anything about economic security? that just seems like a natural progression, with no palatable alternative. It sucks to see so many problems where the cause is obvious but the solution is not.