Suicide stats were quietly released this week.
Like a cultural scab we no longer pick at because the shame is too great and the weeping wound too painful to even acknowledge…
Suicide remains a huge concern
“Today’s release of our national suspected suicide statistics reflects the many thousands of New Zealanders grieving a loved one to suspected suicide at this time,” Shaun Robinson, chief executive of the MHF, says.
“These 617 people are more than just numbers – they were someone’s mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother, life partner, whānau member, colleague or friend. It’s important to keep these people affected by the death of a loved one at the front of our minds today, and every day.
“If you know someone who is grieving, now could be a good time to reach out to them, to have a kōrero and to offer any support they might need.
“If you are grieving – and there is no timeframe for grief – I strongly encourage you to access Aoake te Rā, a free support service for people bereaved by suicide.”
The data released today by the Office of the Chief Coroner shows a suspected suicide rate of 11.2 people per every 100,000, compared with 10.4 people per every 100,000 last year.
The horror of our suicide rate gives us a glimpse behind the ‘she’ll be right’ facade of our culture and the dark torment of an alpha male macho mental landscape that is terribly fragile.
Our under funded social infrastructure, our ‘me first’ consumerism, our 30 years of neoliberal mythology, our disconnection from one another, our untreated pain, our lack of hope from grinding poverty in a first world country, our damaged masculinity, the intergenerational consequences of colonialism, our unspoken rage culture, our inability to express emotion beyond anger – all of this demands questions we don’t want to hear as a society and the shame of suicide continues to hide and smother any healing.
In a society that has no religious faith and all the cultural maturity of a can of coke, the bonds which keep us attached are frail and disconnected. In our fetishisation of individualism we have lost the central part of the human condition – connection.
We have traded in our interwoven threads of whanau, friendship and kin for a race where no one wins.
The reason we can’t talk about suicide is because we can’t stand to talk about the dark treacle of self hate and loneliness at the core of consumer culture. We don’t dare confront the hollowness of our existence on these far flung crags of rock for fear of what we will reveal about ourselves.
Damaged individuals competing for a self identity too fragile for the storms and tempests of life.
Thanks to neoliberalism, we are further from each other than ever before.
Look at the manner in which our suicide rates jumped after the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s, where we moved away from the communal towards the individual…
…we huddle frightened on these lonely rocks at the end of the world and slowly one by one slip off into the swallowing dark. Until we are prepared to confront many of the individualism-over-all myths and rebuild our tattered communities, our suicide rate will remain reminding us of our whispered deceptions.
We refuse to ask the why of suicide because we are too frightened to know the answer is a reflection of the shallow and lonely community we have become. Instead we reel off a list of phone numbers whenever we dare mention suicide as if that means a fucking thing.
We are broken and no one wants to admit that.
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The reason suicide isn’t such a big deal is obvious by the chart. It is predominantly a male problem, and men are biologically disposable.
I think you may be right to a point .Where the graph starts a steep rise mid 1980s is when men were sidelined from being seen as a farther of their children by the family court system .
Martyn – Deeply sad, those people must of felt so alone…
Another sad reflection of the National government and it’s awful punitive policies.
It is a sad reflection on you if you think it is only a problem when National are in power.
Both parties have let down those suffering from depression.
It needs to be remembered for every suicide there are many more suffering from depression which can wreck lives and destroy families.
The situation is serious and should not be seen as a cheap excuse for a shot at the current government.
Labour addressed it, National ignored it, it isn’t political point scoring, it’s simply fact. Minimalising how ineffective this government is and it’s policies that create depressive tendencies is again more about you than your government.
2017 608 beds for mental patients. Fast forward to 2022 and after 2 billion supposed spend 219 beds for mental patients. Enough said about Labour addressing the problem
Mental health facility upgrades in Hamilton as we speak to accommodate the previous National governments immigration ponzi scheme. Please leave those of us with knowledge in this area to comment on facts. Stick to your made up (working in food banks) stories.
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/health-services-and-programmes/infrastructure-and-investment/mental-health-infrastructure-programme
If you want to take me on in a gun fight don’t come armed with a knifr Trevor.
Does the truth hurt .You are always quoting stories look up Andrew Little and what he had to say about the failure of his government. RNZ is quoted as is NZ Herald.
Do you find it hard to understand people from all political persuasion retired and use their skills to help others. You do have a very closed mind.
“You do have a very closed mind.
Says Trevor with his tongue stuck firmly in the right side of his mouth.
Even when the evidence is put in front of you, you are blinded by the blue light.
I note you quote numbers without any links so when you say “truth” do you mean like Donald Trump truths?
The suicide rates are horrifying but cannot be simply linked to any political system to do so abrogates meaningful research.It dismisses the horror.
“we huddle frightened on these lonely rocks at the end of the world and slowly one by one slip off into the swallowing dark.”
That’s about the most depressing thing I have read in a long time.
Where to get help:
Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
Youth services: (06) 3555 906
Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
What’s Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
National has reduced funding to police meaning the police will now longer support crisis clinicians in mental health callouts. It is wrong and it is dangerous. Mental health needs to be taken seriously and Nationals punitive policies do the opposite.
Well aren’t you a f’ing comedian. I take it you are Chairman of the Bored.
We doesn’t speak for me. I’m cracked but not broken and am certainly not frighteningly huddled, nor will i be slipping off into the dark anytime soon…
The graph shows suicide rate up by over one third since neo-liberalism ‘kicked’ in. The stat 10 in 100,000. It’s hard to envisage 100,000. People may be think 10 in 100,000 is not so many. 1 in 10,000 that’s a bit more confronting. But those are annual figures. The impact over time. 25 in a generation. 75 in a lifetime.
For every 100,000 people born 750 top themselves.
I counted up in my own life 32 people at 2degrees separation. The pain of the distraught parents who never get over it. The pain of the individuals.
What ever you think about Mike King he is loud about doing something about this problem.
The equivalent of a mosque massacre every month, every year…
Crickets.
the coalition of chaos quiet on both.
Maybe they should ban heavy duty rope?
The number of lives lost to suspected suicides in the last year is almost twice the annual road toll.
And unspoken, unknown is how many in the road toll were actually suicide attempts taking the driver and perhaps other cars passengers dead or injured as well.
Life is far too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde said that.
I say : More money. Less cost. Two day working week, five day weekend and if we purged our beautiful country of the four now Australian owned banksters rorting you of $180.00 a second net 24/7/365 that could be a reality. Ban advertising in public spaces. Fuck the snow white smiles, square jaws and Jay Lo arse cheeks pimping for the banksters. Fuck all that shit! ( Stop thinking about Jay Lo’s arse cheeks you naughty Pervy.)
And for fucks sake! What are we thinking when we aquiesse to being dominated by the awful people in our parliament. God, they’re just hideous. How did we get to this point. How depressing.
They’re all just so depressing. Deeply, horribly, bleakly depressing. None of them, not one of them has any charisma. At all. Looking at luxon he reminds me of cold soup lacking salt. Are we sure that dodgy wee shrivelled little winston peters is in fact still alive? Imagine him as an action figure doll? A smelly old pin stripped lawyer action figure. It’d crawl under the sofa and plot to kill your family. Seymour. How? Who? Why would anyone vote for it? ” I like seymour. He’s a good bugger. He’ll get my vote” said no one of Earth origin. Has it got a belly button or a USB plug hole? It can’t be an HDMI socket because he’s not that interesting. He’s that kind of heat seeking money ferret that once launched will never stop until he’s got all money everywhere of every denomination tucked into his cheek pouches. Anything for Mr Douglasssssss…
AO/NZ is a joy. What a beautiful few huge islands and yet 617 people topped themselves.
I believe it’s because we’re psychologically conditioned into taking life far too seriously to simply create wealth for boring, ugly, nasty little people who’ve learned how to manipulate and exploit others, often by bullying, guilt-tripping and lying. Do you know what? What I’ve just written sounds exactly like most rural farmers and their families. No wonder they’re comfortable snuggling up with the ugly natzos. ” Lets just keep farming in all weathers for nothing for the national party Dear. Then, they might like us…”
We deserve much, much better so don’t be shy about rolling up your sleeves and going and getting it.
Cyprus has the lowest suicide rate in the world according to an online article, and Lesotho the highest along with 6 other African nations in the top 10 (2019). But overall it is baffling to work out, Finland has a high rate too, a relatively wealthy place. In NZ rural suicides outnumber urban.
To paraphrase Jean Paul Sartre–the only important decision in life is WHEN to commit suicide. Which is all very well if you are making an intellectual decision based on the reality of human mortality–we are all on “last chance power drive” from birth, a use by/expiry date comes with being human. But topping oneself due to absolute despair and a miserable life is another matter.
People materially well off and less stressed and ill surely have a better chance to keep on keeping on…
Lets be clear.
99.99999% of people don’t commit suicide.
But millions who don’t commit suicide do experience the same constant anxiety because of societies unreasonable expectations.
Men are told every man can and should become President, Captain of the All Blacks and become rich and famous. So 99.999% of men are set up for failure.
Women look after children, the elderly, the sick and clean up male mess.
Women tend not to commit suicide because they know self centred males
won’t look after any one unless she has movie star looks.
“Living suicide” shows up in depression, alcohol, food, prescription drugs, computer game playing and endless whining and grizzling about minute problems people in poor countries could only dream about having.
People are so much more entitled and complain a lot more than the
people did in the 1930’s depression who of course had lower expectations then..
This country has bred the cult of the rich, entitled, middle aged ,White, right wing, male curmudgeon who complains all day long and bemoans the fact that the young generation don’t care about Victorian values any more
If you listen to ZB talk then you know what I mean.
Here’s my personal take on suicide following the death of my son Bruno in 2007 https://situationsvacant.blog/2009/04/29/talking-about-suicide/
Thank you Dave Brown for this very interesting report on difficulties getting in the way of positive action bt ordinary untrained but vitally interested people. (My mind wanders quite unacademically – how we can continue to be allowed to drive when we are so prone to make faulty not optimal decisions and these can occur in even short drives, I don’t know.)
Those Who Know Best probably become distanced from the real people they study, competing to form different approaches that can be deliciously argued about at conferences to which one travels and mixes with other superior brains etc. It is quite possible, it is very human to suffer attacks of pride that dim the spectrum of vision.
No “road to zero” for the suicide stats because it’s a disproportionately male problem and who else can the identity politicians demonise?
It’s proportionally a LOT higher for some groups of men ,,,,,,, dragging the male rates higher as a whole …..
“Overall, the suicide rates for Māori are almost twice as high as for non-Māori. For rangatahi Māori (young Māori aged 15 to 24) the suicide rates are almost three times the rates of non-Māori.”
These stark differences are an indication of the serious health and social disparities that continue to exist for Māori”
This demonised group will be offered the helping hand of ‘boot-camps’ ,,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cobAgpVDJt0&list=PL4ANVlA4zCZimZALhD-uPNrjzg2abN9Mr&index=6&pp=gAQBiAQB8AUB
https://youtu.be/cPj8DbiunMA?list=PL4ANVlA4zCZimZALhD-uPNrjzg2abN9Mr
Some sobering figures here today in the story and the comments .Thanks chairman for your posts both are informative .To think we spend millions a year preventing drivers killing them selves or someone else and we spend bugger all on mental health and actually dont seem too concerned about mental health .
I had a family member who decided to attempt to end her life in the middle of a game of cards with her son and her friend .They had no idea she was going to do so till they heard the struggle as she was in the middle of the act .She was unable to be saved and left behind two teen aged kids who had to deal with that at a cross roads in their young lives .No one knows why she did this but a large number of people were effected .Sadly if these poor unwell people could preview their own funeral and see how many people around them cared about them they might not decide on that course of action .
Crocodile tears, Our savage political guidance and economic callousness and lack of moral kindness in favour of harsh diatribes, fines, disdain, fault-finding, unreal targets and unreasonable standards show that the morale of this country is a crock of shit. Boo-hoo about suicides, the double-talk of this country would drive anyone to drink or choose to die after one further disappointment, sadness too much. Finis! Civilisation! Freedom is all talk – we are bound up in regulations made because of somebody’s wet dream and those have become gender-free.
We are not free to die legally without shame of suicide; decide when we want to die with comfort, because the prosy preachy negative so-good people ostensibly don’t want it because… Basically the lawmakers are concerned about money, people might or not get money from the estate, business might still be able to squeeze some advantage from the end of life activity. The children, rellies, may be too keen on getting it – because they need it urgently now in our impoverished ‘state’ or because this is such a money-hungry society we have become, it is a right. We are so two-faced that we had better not look in mirrors as we might see something we didn’t expect via Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray.
Suicides are sad in a way, but the people are getting out of a spoiled world, a ratty, moth-eaten and malignant society so much less than rational expectation (look up the synonyms for vicious as they all apply for most of the time). Living is increasingly fractured and joyless. And it’s like dying with a finger of derision up at society; for men it’s denying society their bodies, their manhood, their personal gifts, aptitudes, artistry; their potential strength and commitment to building society and families. A finer community would arise from their support, if from the first they were nurtured, steered and influenced to be skilled, balanced, considerate and self-respecting, happy kids to adulthood. The trite call ‘What about the children’ used at times in the Simpsons comes from this realisation. The Simpsons said a lot to those who were able to think and understand. I loved the Ayn Rand sneer and defeat by Lisa and the gang of littlies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wob10lOLWY
But many boys are being raised on Randian ideas and with a military approach to turn out denatured men exposed in the book ‘Posh Boys’ as being abandoned children. Boarded-out boys being brought up in stylish concentration camps with little parental body contact, (could say ‘hygienic as untouched by human hands’) little regular love and support, instead feeling bonded to their school compatriots, rather than to interaction with interested, concerned family. But also soul-destroying; they may be parent-ridden, trophy children of parents demanding winners at everything, worthy of love mainly because of their exploits.
By taking the initiative of death suicides can’t be humiliated at WINZ, used as fodder by careless mendacious businesses and government, scorned by others – so-called friends or lovers, sent to war, drain their personhood by filling their gaps with alcohol or other drugs. Even smoking has become a no-no to society so continuing to use cigarettes is a gesture of defiance. You die early and badly, what’s different to the expectation for later years?
“the initiative of death” fuck off – tell that to the mothers of, the gay son hanging outside the kitchen window, or the chiefly Maori boy that ate rat poison, or the muso that copycatted being 27, or the guilt-ridden brother who had heroin ODd his brother, or the daughters of the Mum that booked a hotel room and walked out the window.
not mentioning a problem never fixed that problem
Our dark cultural probs. Which are as good a picture of us as anything. Not sure neoliberalism covers that — and it’s 40 years of neoliberalism.
Our dark cultural probs. Which are as good a picture of us as anything. Not sure neoliberalism covers that — and it’s 40 years of neoliberalism.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/532474/new-zealand-workers-stressed-out-by-cost-of-living-heavy-workloads-survey-finds
Society can’t afford to go into a depression, we haven’t centuries or many decades ahead of us to make sensible decisions and gather useful research, and can make sensible useful plans for supplying future needs and maintain systems for life while we have resources. But it’s White Queen stuff now – ‘Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ We have to use our lauded imagination coupled with academic deep knowledge and include citizens who train themselves to understand the factors facing the world. Then enough hui, and practical dooey. It might be a surprising fillip for some depressed and far-seeing people to worry themselves about the future, forgetting for a time their traumas of the present!
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