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Comment by adventured | Hacker News Reader

Suicide rates in several other developed nations are either higher or compable to the US. Things must be really, really bad in Belgium, Finland and Iceland eh (you know, just three of the nicest countries on Earth). How could Sweden, France and Australia be anywhere near the US rate?

Suicide rates in order per 100k: South Korea 20.2, Belgium 15.7, Japan 14.3, Finland 13.8, US 13.3, Iceland 13.3, France 12.1, Sweden 11.7, Australia 11.7, New Zealand 11.6, Switzerland 11.3, Ireland 10.9, Canada 10.4, Norway 10.1

Others in Europe: Russia 26, Lithuania 25.7, Belarus 21.4, Ukraine 18.5, Latvia 17.2, Estonia 14.4, Hungary 13.6, Moldova 13.4, Poland 13.4, Slovenia 13.3, Austria 11.4

Why are Europeans killing themselves at such high rates?

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I think it is rate of change which has people concerned. The rate of suicide in the US is up 25% in the last 15 years.

> The US is pretty much also the only country where suicides are increasing

So the initial assertion was not compelling.

> it is rate of change which has people concerned.

Do you have any source about people being concerned (what people?) for the new goalpost?

Note that the majority of the mentioned countries are relatively small. The rates in the largest ones - that is Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain - covering more than half of the European population - are much lower than in the US.

The elephant(s) in the room is(are) of course Russia and within the EU - Poland(population: 38mln) - but in these cases the explanation as to why it happens is pretty obvious.

One possible explanation is that Europeans are not killing themselves at significantly higher rates but that coroners in the US are less likely to classify a death as a suicide relative to coroners in Europe. There are a lot of cultural taboos in place. Again, however, this is just supposition.

Belgium has decriminalized euthanasia, maybe that plays a role...

Should euthanasia be included in suicide rates though?

Honest question, I really dont know.

Having a terminal illness at age 90 and being clinically depressed at age 18 are very different things (obviously).

Weirdly in Belgium this appears to be specific to the Walloon west of the country.

All the other European ones you mention other than Finland (where the suicide rate is believed to be linked to being dark for half the year) are Eastern european former communist states. There's still a lag in healthcare modernisation there.

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