Replies

OK if I nitpick?

You are actually calculating your percentage comparisons wrong.

For instance, the white male rate is 24.8 - The Hispanic male rate is 12.9 - The difference is 11.9.

11.9 is just 92% of 12.9, so the white male rate is only 92% higher than the Hispanic rate. You state it is 192%, which is not correct.

Same thing for female Blacks to male whites. It should be 700%, not 800%.

As to female suicides, they are always much lower than male suicides, for all ethnic groups.

Once again, I don't want to trivialize any suicide. All of them are tragic, and, according to many religions, they are unforgivable sins.

However, the total numbers really are quite small.

Among healthy adults over age 24, the rate is just 1 per 10,000.

Also, among healthy adults, almost every suicide falls into one of three categories: drug or alcohol addiction; schizophrenia or clinical depression; or a family history of suicide.

Among the young, the main cause is impulsive action often preceded by a highly emotional event.

Among the elderly, the main cause is poor health or the death of a spouse or a best friend.

I think you may agree that preventing the motives for suicide in all age groups is a really tough problem.

I will guess that religious faith, a loving spouse, strong families, meaningful work, and perhaps most important - molecular biology - prevent most people from even thinking about suicide.

OK if I nitpick? Sure, why not...

You are actually calculating your percentage comparisons wrong. No. You just don't seem to be aware there are three or more ways to express comparisons.

For instance, the white male rate is 24.8 - The Hispanic male rate is 12.9 - The difference is 11.9. It's difficult not to give you a snarky reply here. Seriously?

11.9 is just 92% of 12.9, so the white male rate is only 92% higher than the Hispanic rate. You state it is 192%, which is not correct. I tried to be careful NOT TO reference it as 192% higher. I may have slipped up a time or two. I'm sorry you were unable to understand that. 24.8 is 192% of 12.9. That's all I stated.

Same thing for female Blacks to male whites. It should be 700%, not 800%. Sure, it is 700% more, but the white male figure is still 800% of the female figure. I did not state it was 800% more.

When you have 1 death and 8 deaths, you could reference it as 7 more deaths, 700% more, or 800% of the single count. 8 deaths is 800% of 1 death. Comparing 100% to 800% seems rather clear to me.

As to female suicides, they are always much lower than male suicides, for all ethnic groups. Doesn't make any difference here. The figures are what I addressed. I made no reference to any other age group. If your comment is accurate, then that is another inequity which needs to be addressed. Why is it reasoned to just accept that the female suicide rates are always less, and be done with it? If the female rate is that much lower, shouldn't our goal be to get the male rate down? Why did you feel compelled to make this statement?

Once again, I don't want to trivialize any suicide. All of them are tragic, and, according to many religions, they are unforgivable sins. I agree with this.

However, the total numbers really are quite small. As I stated to another poster, the actual suicide number is not the whole story. If ten actually commit suicide, how many thought of it seriously enough to try and fail? How many thought of it and didn't? How many just experienced elevated depression. If the white male figure is 800% of the black female figure, then you can count on all these categories being around 800% of the black female numbers.

Among healthy adults over age 24, the rate is just 1 per 10,000. Thank you. What that has to do with the figures here, I have no idea. What is your axe to grind here? You find the information I provided to be distrubing? It appears you are trying to trivialize the numbers I presented here. You're having a very hard time addressing them. You procede to evade them through much of your post.

Also, among healthy adults, almost every suicide falls into one of three categories: drug or alcohol addiction; schizophrenia or clinical depression; or a family history of suicide. Okay. So what? I didn't address adult suicide? Why are you?

Among the young, the main cause is impulsive action often preceded by a highly emotional event. Okay. Again, so what? Do you think white males go through this 800% compared to 100%, white males vs black females. I doubt that is true. I made no statement about why these young people were doing this. I simply put the numbers out there and compared them. I wasn't the only one to do so, or I wouldn't have had the numbers to present..

Among the elderly, the main cause is poor health or the death of a spouse or a best friend. Okay. You seem to be procupied with other age groups. What has cause got to do with this age group, when everyone in the age group is going through the same period in thier life? Why do you persist in introducing other age groups and then causes into this, when I provided only a specific age group and no causes?

I think you may agree that preventing the motives for suicide in all age groups is a really tough problem. LOL, what would be the point of addressing that? This presentation did not address all age groups. I merely addressed the study I found. These young people being in the prime of their life, you don't find this interesting?

I will guess that religious faith, a loving spouse, strong families, meaningful work, and perhaps most important - molecular biology - prevent most people from even thinking about suicide. Okay. Once again, it simply does not refernce the information I provided.

Perhaps you should have worked up numbers for other groups and started your own thread on the forum, and left my thread alone.

You could have then presented the percentages the way you wanted to.