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Mar 15, 2024 · 15 March 2024. Three young men smile for a photo in the pub - 45 minutes later, two of them are dead. Lewis Moghul, 22, was found to be more than three times the legal alcohol limit when he...
- Nikki Mitchell
- Overview
- The statistics of men’s suicide rates
- Why do men have much higher suicide rates?
- How can we lower men’s suicide rates?
- Takeaway
While we don’t know exactly why the suicide rate in men is much higher than in other genders, age, ethnicity, occupation, and the stigma of male mental health care are some contributing factors.
The higher suicide rate among men is a consistent trend.
There are lots of potential reasons for this trend. While some progress has been made to lower the men’s suicide rate, more work is needed to address men’s mental health overall.
If you want to know more about the men’s suicide rate, why it’s so high, and what you can do to help, keep reading.
Language matters
You’ll notice that the language used to share stats and other data points is pretty binary, fluctuating between “male” and “men.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 48,000 people died by suicide in 2021 in the United States.
In that same year, the suicide rate among men was almost four times higher than the suicide rate among women. While men make up around 50% of the U.S. population, they comprise nearly 80% of suicides.
There are lots of potential contributing factors toward suicide, so there’s no simple answer to this question — particularly as research suggests women are more likely to receive a diagnosis of depression than men.
It might be that depression in men goes underreported because men are less likely to reach out and get help. There’s still a stigma surrounding male mental health and that men should not express their emotions.
If men are less likely to seek support, there’s an increased likelihood that mental health concerns can get severe and potentially lead to suicide.
Research suggests that women are more likely to attempt suicide than men, but men are more likely to die by suicide.
This might be because men may opt for more violent suicide methods, particularly in countries where people are more likely to own firearms. In the United States, for example, over half of gun owners are men, and over half of suicides involve firearms, according to a 2022 study.
It’s important to consider how suicide rates differ between male groups. LGBTQ+ men, for example, have a higher risk of mental health conditions than cisgender heterosexual men. This is due to the increased discrimination and stigma based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Everyone can help lower men’s suicide rates on both a micro and a macro level.
First, you can directly support the men in your life. Keep an eye out for signs and symptoms of depression, and let them know you’re there for them. Take any potential signs of suicidal ideation seriously.
Make sure the men in your life know where they can go for support, be it friends and family, their doctor, a therapist, or local organizations.
On a macro level, we can help lower the men’s suicide rate by continuing to remove the stigma. While progress has been made over the years, and men are more comfortable speaking out and expressing themselves, there’s still a long way to go.
Pursuing therapy is a vital aspect of mental health. It’s important to normalize going to therapy as a man.
Increased availability of mental health care can further help lower suicide rates in men and improve their overall quality of life.
The men’s suicide rate is much higher than the suicide rates in other genders. While some progress has been made to lower this rate, more work must be done.
This might seem like a large and daunting task, but there are many things we can all do to help. It starts with reaching out to and supporting the men in our lives.
- Adam England
6 days ago · A criminology professor has warned the country is in a "state of emergency" due to the level of violence against women. "We have a lot of work to do in terms of addressing the pernicious forms of ...
But men, who get to be an average 81.3 years old, typically die about four years younger than women. Men also die at a higher rate in every age group until old age.
- Jackson Graham
Jun 19, 2020 · In males between the ages of 45 and 85, it is cancer. Once men reach 85 years old, heart disease is the most common cause of death. In males under 45 years, suicide is the second most common...
3 days ago · The small Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania is reeling after the FBI named a young local man, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as the person who shot at Donald Trump during a campaign rally ...
People also ask
Are young people dying a lot?
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Are boys and young men doing as well as girls?
Nov 19, 2021 · First, the good news: The death rate among young people around the world has been declining, a new study shows. But boys and young men are not doing as well as girls and young women.
