Originally posted by Thequ1ckdefine priveliged. are you saying rich have a higher rate then poor? suicidal thoughts are common and do not discriminate. if it seems that the rich have a higher rate, then i would think that it is because it makes the news more.
Why do a higher percentage of 'privileged' people commit suicide?
What is it about our society that drives people to commit such an act?
i think the worrying part is more than often the person is mentally stable, aware of what they're about to do and the implications to friends and family, (i.e. writing up their will, paying off debts....) and give little clue to their intentions...
suicide is not a moment of madness, it is a carefully thought out strategy for ending ones life... the two most often causes are love and money, but the sole cause is the person's inability to find or see a way out
My Uncle wanted to make sure. He sat in his car with a loaded shotgun in his mouth after dousing himself with gasoline. He lit himself on fire with a lighter and then pulled the trigger, blowing his brains out the roof of the car. Much more glamorous than a jumper or an overdose, I'd say. He was a good man, but depression and drugs did him in.
Originally posted by steve645I'm sorry to hear about your uncle.
My Uncle wanted to make sure. He sat in his car with a loaded shotgun in his mouth after dousing himself with gasoline. He lit himself on fire with a lighter and then pulled the trigger, blowing his brains out the roof of the car. Much more glamorous than a jumper or an overdose, I'd say. He was a good man, but depression and drugs did him in.
Originally posted by eatmybishopI once read that the reason for the strict Catholic prohibition of suicide is that in the early days of the Church, various devout Christians were so excited by the prospect of getting to heaven that they killed themselves to speed up the process. The Church realised this was going to cause problems, so to remove the temptation decreed that suicide was an unforgiveable sin.
as a side note, i once knew a priest who told me the only sin that cant be forgiven in the eyes of god is suicide...
As for the original question, I suspect that the poor are too busy dealing with the practical problems of ensuring day-to-day survival, making sure they have food and other essential resources, to worry about existential questions. Wealth gives us the leisure to ponder questions like "Why am I here?" and "What is the point of living?". These are the sort of questions that provoke suicidal thoughts.