Happiest countries have highest suicide rate?

metis said:

This is in large part caused by two things that are different than most countries. One is that there's less of a stigma in the Scandinavian countries against one whom commits suicide or their family, including more support, including financial, for families affected by suicide.

Secondly, the Scandinavian countries are not at all leery about calling some deaths "suicide", such as maybe a person taking a hair-pin turn in their Volvo at high speed going off a cliff. Also, families can still collect on their life insurance policies-- at least the last time I've heard

Thirdly, the long darkness of winter pays a toll as well, and even the personalities of Swedes tends to change from summer to winter. Know as being relatively quiet and introverted people, this is far less true during the summer months.

I remember quite a few years ago running across a comparative study that found that U.S. suicide rates are almost as high as those in Sweden if we here in the States compiled stats in the same way the Swedes do. However, I don't know if this still would be true.

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Nous said:

No, I'm pretty sure that does not account for the data.

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lewisnotmiller said:

Per my post above, it actually might have, once upon a time.
The data is more standardised now (to whatever extent that is possible) and doesn't really tell the same story it used to.

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PopeADope said:

Worldwide surveys have consistently ranked the Scandinavian countries — with their generous family-leave policies, low crime, free health care, rich economies and, yes, high income taxes — as the happiest places on earth. But this happiness has always been accompanied by a paradox: the happiest countries also seem to have the highest suicide rates.
Why the Happiest States Have the Highest Suicide Rates | TIME.com

Why do you think that is?

Also, why do you think men commit suicide more often than women?

"Poor people in developing countries survive and often find pleasure in their hard lives. There are few suicides in the poorest countries. For example, the U.S. suicide rate is approximately 13 per 100,000 people. In Costa Rica it's 4.9; in Mexico it's 1.4; and in Peru it's .5. Who has time for suicide? You're too busy surviving. There's little ambiguity and few questions about the meaning of life. Living! That's what life's all about. There's no "Mom, what am I going to do today?" You know what you're going to do: survive if you can. And survival is satisfying.
Are people in poor countries more or less likely to commit suicide than Americans? - Democratic Underground

Any other reasons you can think of why people commit suicide more often in wealthy countries?

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PopeADope said:

Worldwide surveys have consistently ranked the Scandinavian countries — with their generous family-leave policies, low crime, free health care, rich economies and, yes, high income taxes — as the happiest places on earth. But this happiness has always been accompanied by a paradox: the happiest countries also seem to have the highest suicide rates.
Why the Happiest States Have the Highest Suicide Rates | TIME.com

Why do you think that is?

Also, why do you think men commit suicide more often than women?

"Poor people in developing countries survive and often find pleasure in their hard lives. There are few suicides in the poorest countries. For example, the U.S. suicide rate is approximately 13 per 100,000 people. In Costa Rica it's 4.9; in Mexico it's 1.4; and in Peru it's .5. Who has time for suicide? You're too busy surviving. There's little ambiguity and few questions about the meaning of life. Living! That's what life's all about. There's no "Mom, what am I going to do today?" You know what you're going to do: survive if you can. And survival is satisfying.
Are people in poor countries more or less likely to commit suicide than Americans? - Democratic Underground

Any other reasons you can think of why people commit suicide more often in wealthy countries?

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lewisnotmiller said:

It's an interesting point. The OP didn't link to any stats, but rather a 2011 story which used Scandinavian countries as an example without stating any hard figures.
It's at least partially based on different reporting methods used to determine when a death is a suicide (as you have indicated). Kind of a legacy myth from the 60s and 70s that Scandanavians kill themselves at a particularly high rate. Myth might be too strong a word, I guess, but still...
In terms of 2015 WHO figures, Nordic countries rank as follows;
Finland - 35
Sweden - 46
Norway - 102
Denmark -105

Meanwhile, the top 5 countries are Sri Lanka, Guyana, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Cote de Ivorie.
I suspect the linking of happy countries to high suicide rates is probably overstated, and quite possible completely misrepresented by the Time article mentioned in the OP.

List of sovereign states by suicide rate - Wikipedia

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JesusMyFriend said:

I have just seen this post now but it's so true. Like give for example Ireland or the UK and suicide rates are quite high, which is weird coz living in a "first world country" people have everything they need, want or desire. All the commodities. Being also Peruvian, I know the mentality of people in my country. And as said, suicide rates are really really low. Like you said at the start, they Don't have the time to think, life is hard as it is, so why commit suicide? Also I have noticed they take life as it comes, happily and with great faith. It's quite amazing actually. .

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PopeADope said:

Worldwide surveys have consistently ranked the Scandinavian countries — with their generous family-leave policies, low crime, free health care, rich economies and, yes, high income taxes — as the happiest places on earth.

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Nous said:

All true. However, that doesn't necessarily explain the gender disparity in suicide rates.

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Jonathan Ainsley Bain said:

Delusions of grandeur.
Certainly those surveys are nothing more than white monopoly capital propaganda.
I have had plenty of chance to live in those places,
but I prefer living in Africa, because here the people are really happy,
and white people are mostly a bunch of miserable cynical lying manipulative racist sods.

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Nous said:

The information you and Metis have provided is crucially informative on the topic. Thanks. The World Atlas provides further information (and supports your figures): Suicide Rates By Country

I'm not sure how to account for the "spike" in Sri Lanka's or Guyana's suicide rates. Nevertheless, obviously suicide rates do a lot more fluctuating than one might anticipate.

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Jonathan Ainsley Bain said:

Delusions of grandeur.
Certainly those surveys are nothing more than white monopoly capital propaganda.
I have had plenty of chance to live in those places,
but I prefer living in Africa, because here the people are really happy,
and white people are mostly a bunch of miserable cynical lying manipulative racist sods.

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