By Misty Rodlin

It’s a sad international trend that’s not quite getting the attention it deserves: Increasing suicide rates in the 21st century. Recently a report came out about the rise of suicides among young girls ages 10 to 19 in Canada. But, this is only a part of the bigger story that is driving so many of us to learn how to prevent someone from committing suicide.

In Europe, suicide rates are also increasing, especially among the disabled and people with depression. Not surprisingly, the surge in suicides has been linked to the current global economic crisis — and the longer it lasts and poverty increases, the more suicide rates are expected to climb.

In India, over 125,000 farmers have committed suicide as the country becomes a testing ground for genetically modified (GM) crops. Promised great riches, these farmers borrowed money to buy GM seeds, but were unable to pay their loans when the harvests failed and left them in dire debt. Also, in Asia and Latin America, suicide rates among the elderly are soaring.

Other high-risk groups in North America besides girls include native people, the elderly, inmates and people with mental illness. But it’s worth noting as well that men have a higher suicide rate than women, due to the fact they are more successful in their attempts. Women actually attempt suicide at a rate of two to three times higher than men.

Although other health conditions such as AIDS and cancer garner a lot of media attention, suicide is the only health condition with a guaranteed outcome of death, which is why learning how to prevent someone from committing suicide is so important. Suicide is among the leading causes of death for some groups; for people ages 15 to 44 in some countries it’s the third leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization.

For some demographics, such as those ages people ages 10 to 24, suicide is the second leading cause of death. However, keep in mind that suicide rates do not include suicide attempts, which the WHO states are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicides.

There’s no simple, one-size-fits all solution to preventing suicide. However, some or all of these strategies can make a difference — even if the person you’re trying to save is you.

Learn How to Prevent Someone from Committing Suicide

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