Do women have better handwriting than men? Do men have better geospatial senses than women? These are common questions that can come up in conversation to debate. However, there is no debate to men’s high suicide rates. Statistics Canada has consistently claimed men to be three times more likely to commit suicide than women (Figure 1)(Statistics Canada, 2015). The brain is a complex organ that is intricately distinct between sexes, and implications of the psychological differences between males and females can establish dangerous consequences.
While men are more likely to commit suicide, it is important to note that women are more likely to experience thoughts of suicide. Women have a greater tendency to suffer in psychological problems causing depression and suicidal thoughts (Ingalhalikar et al., 2014). Mental illness is more predominant in females due to many factors caused by societal pressures (Ingalhalikar et al., 2014). However, if women have more attempts in suicide than men, why is the mortality rate in men three times higher?
Males tend to use more aggressive methods of suicide such as hanging, gun abuse, and other firearms (Canetto and Sakinofsky, 1998). Comparatively, females attempt suicide in less violent approaches such as poisoning and overdosing (Leenaars, 1998). Males were most likely to commit suicide by hanging in 46 percent of total studies, while females most often died by poisoning, depicting 42 percent of total suicide attempts (Statistics Canada, 2015). Males used firearms notably more than females, as firearms are used for 20 percent of suicide attempts in males compared to only 3 percent in females (Statistics Canada, 2015). Therefore, female suicide attempts are more often unsuccessful because overdosing does not guarantee immediate means of death.
Also, men are neurologically more impulsive than women (Cross, Copping and Campbell, 2011). Impulsivity results to rash decisions without properly understanding the permanent consequences in suicide. A clear link is also established between alcohol and suicide. The Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide shows men to have more alcohol in their bloodstream present in the last hours before their suicide attempt (Haw et al., 2005). Alcohol abuse is seen more frequently in males, further justifying the higher rates of male suicides (McGirr et al., 2006).
In Canada, statistics reveal male suicide rates are 3 times higher, however, globally, men are 3 to 7.5 times more likely in committing suicide (Nock et al., 2008). The important implications revealed in suicidal behaviours between sexes depict the significant influence of cultural influences to mental health. Deep psychological trauma inherent within each sex is an issue that needs to be carefully considered by research, clinical care, and public policy. Both men and women suffer in suicidal behaviours, but there is still a lack of public awareness to the silent epidemic of male suicide. By encouraging in-depth research, practicing preventive strategies, and building more protective policies, together, we can break the silence.
References
Canetto, S.S. and Sakinofsky, I., 1998. The gender paradox in suicide. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 28(1), pp.1–23.
Cross, C.P., Copping, L.T. and Campbell, A., 2011. Sex differences in impulsivity: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 137(1), pp.97–130.
Haw, C., Hawton, K., Casey, D., Bale, E. and Shepherd, A., 2005. Alcohol dependence, excessive drinking and deliberate self-harm. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(12), pp.964–971.
Ingalhalikar, M., Smith, A., Parker, D., Satterthwaite, T.D., Elliott, M.A., Ruparel, K., Hakonarson, H., Gur, R.E., Gur, R.C. and Verma, R., 2014. Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), pp.823–828.
Leenaars, A.A., 1998. Suicide in Canada. University of Toronto Press.
McGirr, A., Séguin, M., Renaud, J., Benkelfat, C., Alda, M. and Turecki, G., 2006. Gender and risk factors for suicide: evidence for heterogeneity in predisposing mechanisms in a psychological autopsy study. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 67(10), pp.1612–1617.
Nock, M.K., Borges, G., Bromet, E.J., Cha, C.B., Kessler, R.C. and Lee, S., 2008. Suicide and suicidal behavior. Epidemiologic Reviews, 30, pp.133–154.
Statistics Canada, 2015. Estimates of population, by age group and sex for July 1, Canada, provinces and territories. [online] Statistics Canada. Available at: <http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-624-x/2012001/article/chart/11696-02-chart1-eng.htm> [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017].
Comments
15 Responses to “Why are men more likely to commit suicide?”
Hey everyone!
I participated in the iSci safeTALK, a training program that prepared students to become a suicide-alert helper. It was interesting to learn how to best respond to others with thoughts of suicide, and I am grateful for the opportunity of this training. Afterwards, I found myself curious to suicide statistics and why men are so much more likely to commit suicide. Through this blog post, I investigated the differences between male vs. female deaths in suicide.
I hope you can enjoy this topic as much as I did!
-Bea
Hi Bea,
Your post was quite interesting, I was unaware of the drastic difference in suicide rates. A few suggestions to improve this blog are:
– In the last sentence of the second paragraph, either remove the word ‘Although” and replacing it with “However”, and removing the word “then”.
– In the third paragraph, second sentence, consider replacing “On the other hand” with “Comparatively” or “Contrastingly”
Hope this helps 🙂
Chris
Hey Chris,
Thanks a lot for your feedback, I have now made those changes!
Bea
Hi Bea,
Very interesting post! I thought the discussion brought forward an issue we don’t often hear about. You really examined this topic from many perspectives and your writing is clear and concise. Overall a great post.
I have a few edits listed below that will allow your blog post to be even more amazing:
1. In the first paragraph, you wrote “Data collection has consistently claimed men to be three times more likely to commit suicide in Canada”, I would specify that it is Canadian men are more likely to commit suicide than their female counterparts (as otherwise it may be misinterpreted as men commit suicide in Canada more than other countries).
2. I am not entirely sure that this sentence in the second paragraph is pertaining to: “Mortality in males is typically higher in males”.
Overall a great blog post!
Regards,
Sloane
Hi Sloane
Thanks so much for your feedback! It was very helpful and I’ve made the necessary changes.
Thanks,
Bea
Hi Bea,
Thanks for sharing your research on this subject! Suicide is becoming less socially taboo to talk about and it’s good to know the facts.
I have a couple suggestions for your post:
– in the first paragraph, you might need a citation after “Data collection has consistently claimed men to be three times more likely to commit suicide in Canada (Figure 1)”, even though you cited in the figure 1 caption
– you might want to list the three sub-topics you’re discussing in the first paragraph, which would help the reader know what to expect from the blog post
– in the second paragraph, you mention “Mental illness is more predominant in females due to many factors caused by societal pressures”. If you have space, could you talk about what these societal pressures are and why they appear to have a greater impact on women than on men?
– in your last paragraph, I think you mean to say “inherent”, not “inherently”
Overall, your post is well put together and covers a lot of research suggesting why male suicide rates are higher than those of females. Looking forward to reading your final version!
Lindsey
Hey Lindsey,
Thank you so much for your feedback and suggestions! They were great points and I will definitely use them to improve my blog post.
Thanks,
Bea
Hi Bea,
Very interesting post! Your title drew me in and I thought your blog was well constructed. I only have a few suggestions:
1. I agree with previous commenters that you need a citation after “Data collection…”. You also mention that it has consistently showed such a result. I think you should differentiate as to whether you are referring to Statistics Canada studies over time or results gathered from other more minute studies.
2. I think you could also expand on the differences between mental illness incidence in men and females. Right now it reads as an extreme simplification of a complex issue. Perhaps find another citation that confirms the statement.
Great job!
MK 🙂
Hey MK,
Thank you for your suggestions. I will change that sentence and try to find a citation, thanks!
Bea
Hi Bea,
The points you made in your blog are very interesting! I was particularly surprised by your point in that women do not die immediately from overdosing and are therefore able to get help, attributing to a lower death count. The second paragraph of your blog is the only thing I think could be improved.
It seems a bit choppy to me, almost as if you are just stating facts with little connection to one another. the sentence “Men are more likely to commit suicide but women are more likely to attempt suicide and act on the idea” could be changed to “While men are more likely to commit suicide, women are more likely to act on the idea of and attempt suicide” though it’s your decision on whether that makes it better or not. Other than that, I had no problems, and it was a very interesting blog post, good work!
Nadia A
Hi Nadia,
That was a really good catch, thanks for making my sentence flow better.
Thanks,
Bea
Hey Bea!
This was a very interesting post. It was structured very well and I was definitely intrigued by the statistics you used. My only suggestion would be at the beginning of your second paragraph to change your first sentence to “While men are more likely to commit suicide, it is important to note that women are more likely to experience thoughts of and attempt suicide.” I believe this would really help your post flow better into the paragraph.
Again, great work!
Sam
Howdy Samuel,
Thanks a lot for your suggestion, I have now made the revision.
Regards,
Bea
Hello Bea,
I’m really enjoyed your blogpost and appreciate that you’ve shed light on the issues of male suicide and mental health, which are often overlooked and ignored by society.
I have a few suggestions to make some sentences in your blogpost flow better:
In the second paragraph, you use the wording “thoughts of suicide” twice in consecutive sentences. Maybe change one of them to “suicidal thoughts” to add some variety.
In the last sentence of the third paragraph, try rewording “women fail in suicide attempts more often ” to ” female suicide attempts are more often unsuccessful because…” or something similar to make the wording more smooth.
In the first sentence of your conclusion, change “male suicide rate as 3 times more than women” to “male suicide rates are 3 times higher” to make the sentence more concise.
Keep up the good work,
Theresia
Hi Theresia,
Thank you so much for your comments, I have made all the necessary edits from your suggestions. They have definitely improved my writing in the blog post.
Thanks again,
Bea