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The graphic  is typical of most western countries, where it seems that suicides are rising for those above 40 years (accounting for population differences).   Prof John Ashton  attributes this to "the dramatically changed position of men in society vis-a-vis women and vis-a-vis the labour market" is affecting "men's self-esteem and self-confidence". If that is true then he simply means that it is all economically driven.

I recently went through a series of old Denzel Washington movies. I started with the Bone Collector (1999). Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) is the quadriplegic forensics expert, following a tragic accident at work, whose plans to commit assisted suicide are interrupted by a sadistic serial killer on the loose in New York. With time counting down between each abduction and possible death, Rhyme recruits the unwilling but talented rookie Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) after she saves the first crime scene. Through radio contact, she becomes his eyes and legs on the scene, even as she battles her private challenges.

I recently had an opportunity to discuss music with a group of young people at church. For some unexplained reason I chose Price Tag by Jessie J (2011). The song consists of two verses by Jessie J, a chorus and a  final "rap" by B.o.B that more or less restates Jessie J's  two verses! Jessie J's first verse: Seems like everybody’s got a price / I wonder how they sleep at night / When the sale comes first / And the truth comes second / Just stop for a minute and smile / Why is everybody so serious? / Acting so damn mysterious? / Got shades on your eyes / And your heels so high that you can’t even have a good time The verse is a statement of the main problem under examination. The singer believs that "everybody's got a price”. And though her immediate target may be the music industry, her statement relates to everyone. Everyone is up for sale. In short, we have become "commodified" and for the right price we are easily morally trafficked to th...

Suicides among midde-aged Americans has been on the rise in the United States. More people die from suicides than vehicle accidents : In 2010, an average of nearly 18 out of every 100,000 people aged 35-64 died from suicide - four more than a decade earlier. In 2010, motor vehicle accidents killed 33,687 people, while 38,364 died from suicide that year, according to the CDC, the government agency tasked with providing research and recommendations on US health and safety. Among non-Hispanic whites and Native Americans, annual suicide rates leaped 40 percent and 65 percent, respectively. Nearly three times as many men as women in this age group killed themselves: around 27 men compared to eight women per 100,000 in 2010. And the CDC found that, while most suicides were committed with guns, the number of people dying from suffocation and hanging rose the fastest - by more than 80 percent - over the last decade. Experts are not certain why suicide rates are increasing so marke...

Another banker plummeted 80ft to her death from an exclusive open air restaurant on the roof of an office building in London last night. According to the Daily Mail , the smartly dressed woman fell eight storeys from the top of Sir Terence Conran's restaurant Coq D’Argent, landing in front of hundreds of commuters outside Bank station. One Eyewitness said, "I saw a handbag and a glass of wine that had obviously been the woman’s. From listening to what people were telling the police it sounded like she had been quite self-collected, just taken a sip of wine, and then stepped over the edge". This is the third suicide from what has been dubbed a "suicide sport for bankers" . In May 2007, City employee 33 year old Richard Ford died after he plunged from the terrace and landed on a bus. In July 2009, 24 year old stockbroker Anjool Malde leaped to his death from the venue holding a glass of champagne after being suspended from his job at Deutsche Bank. Aerial vi...