Difference between revisions of "Suicide"

Revision as of 17:04, October 12, 2008

Suicide is the crime or sin of killing oneself; it is a sin throughout all of Christianity, and a mortal sin in Roman Catholic tradition; it is also a very grave sin within Islam.

Scope of the Problem

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the world, claiming over one million lives globally in 1999. The suicide rate in the United States in 1999 was 10.7 per 100,000; the homicide rate that same year was only 6.2 per 100,000. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth 15–24 years old. White males over 85 have the highest rate of suicide, about 65 per 100,000. Suicide rates are also elevated in some ethnic groups. For example, suicide is about 1.5 times more prevalent than average among native Americans. While whites continue to have higher suicide rates than blacks, the gap seems to be narrowing in young males. Suicides in males outnumber those in females in almost all nations, including the United States. While males are more likely to complete suicide, females are more likely to attempt suicide. Christians are 93% more likely to commit suicide than those of other faiths.^[1]

Suicide in the Military

The United States Army, which has about one million soldiers, reported 99 suicides in 2006, which is less than 0.01%. About half were soldiers/officers under 25. According to Colonel Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to Army Surgeon General Major General Gale Pollock, the primary motivation for these suicides had nothing to do with military service, and instead were due to "failed intimate relationships, failed marriages."^[2]

References

1. ↑ Institute of Medicine. (2002). Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative. Page 33. National Academies Press, Washington.
2. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/16/AR2007081600266.html?sub=AR

See also

• kamikaze
• suicide bomber

External links

• Demme, Greg, Suicide: What’s the problem? 2nd April, 2008 (Creation Ministries International)