its the same, its just that now we are a part of the global village here, we hear about it more.

stress, demands of society, expectations of family, alcoholism - I'm not sure if the problem is larger or just obvious when it happens, but somehow we need to give people the freedom to be imperfect without shame.

ha, yes i do

i feel lonely it's so annoying...................i don't know what's eating me up

I am not sure if we have more suicide or if we are more open about it.  In the past it was such a taboo subject.  The Catholic church would not  bury you in the cemetery (do they still have that rule) and people were embarrassed to talk about it.  Just like they were embarrassed to talk about any mental illness.

As Nuclear families i think we have lost alot of the built in supports that our parents had.  Families living in the same hourse or on the same block.  Sharing of the work and the debt and the worries.

Many people now feel so alone and helpless.

I think that is escalating at least from what I have seen in my 17 years. I think the problem is that todays society has become so brutally mean to all of those that don't fit in which makes them feel like they have no reason to live. As well alot of parents put so much pressure on their kids to be perfect that sometimes they just want to do something that isn't expected (but this usually is cutting not suicide). And cutting well that is just a whole nother game altogether and also a problem that I think people would be surprised to learn is much bigger then it seems and effects a lot more people then you might think it is just easy for people to hide it.... but I won't get into that.

I have to say though I can almost guarantee that almost every teen these days contemplates suicide at least once. Our society has put so much pressure on us that sometimes we feel like we just have no other place to turn. I don't think the answer is to just always say suicide is wrong or not the answer. All though this is true when someone is contemplating sucicide these are pointless useless words to them.

Trust me I was told this many times in fact IRONY I went to a Safetalk workshop (how to talk people out of suicide) at my school at the time when I myself was thinking of commiting suicide. It did nothing!! People don't want to commit suicide they just feel like there is no other choice I think the key is to show them that there is something more to life and to accept them for who they are.... we must stop judging these people and telling them they are horrible people for thinking what they do. That is not what they need to hear...they just need to be loved.... I know at least that is the only thing that helped me.

And birthstone I think what you said about how "we need to give people the freedom to be imperfect without shame." Is the key to lowering suicide rates.

So the answer to this problem is to love people for who they are and to stop being so judmental... problem is I don't think society is ever going to get better in this are only worse.... sadly I only see suicide rates rising even more unless society makes a huge turnaround in our views of the world aaround us and the way we treat our fellow human beings.

Stats Canada info indicates that the overall suicide rate 2001 - 2005 (most recent available data) is quite stable - approx 11 per 100,000.   I do agree that we seem to hear more about it though, and that does make many of us worry, for sure.  

I was interested to hear puppypaws mention the SafeTALK event at his school - it's a programme delivered by trainers through an organization called Living Works (www.livingworks.net)  They teach various levels of intervention strategies for suicide "first aid" - i.e. what you might say or do in the moment, how to ask people if they're thinking about suicide etc.     Just as CPR training has become more widely known in the public - so too could the public learn about suicide intervention strategies.   Perhaps its something churches could address?   Particularly in these tougher economic times ....

Just curious then - has anyone's church done any proactive suicide prevention programmes?  Has such a thing ever been thought about or discussed?  Or is it still largely under wraps of stigma?   Some churches support AA programmes, weight-watchers, ... would such a thing be so out of line?

I would have to say no crazyheart. I think it is just that life is getting tougher for teens therefore making more of us suseptable to this feeling.

Unless there has been a spike in the past five years, suicide rates are lower than they were in the 90s. You just hear about it more on internet forums, especially those where people turn to for emotional support.

http://www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/health/suicide.html