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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

That's when people realize they've failed at life, their bodies are giving out, and they can't afford to retire. High opiate abuse, too.

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Really doesn't help that we've somehow created a culture where mediocrity is a sin. It's okay to be average. Most of us are.

This I really hate. People make fun of participation awards but that's what it's all about...you tried, you participated...Ok that's fantastic.

Pressure that if you're not worth 7 figures or famous is poisonous...

Then why is the 55-74 range lower?

I would say the curre6 55-74 range is baby boomers who benefitted from strong growth in wages, stocks, benefits, and housing and are financially secure. Where as the 45-54 group is the first of Gen X that didn't have those benefits and are in a much worse state financially for the future.

I guess the question I have is how have suicide rates changed over the past century.

I'd guess retirements (in the US, at least) are gonna get a hell of a lot less comfortable, on average, as the years go on. And probably suicides will keep going up as a result.

I'm an early (the term I sometimes see is elder) millennial with excellent household income for my area, but if I ever retire it'll either be on a meager income or very late, because I had kids. Took me from probably a comfortable, but not extravagant, early retirement or a pretty good "normal"-timed retirement to maybe-never retirement. Those with lower income (so, most) aren't even getting that choice. Kids and lifelong near-poverty and debt struggles, or maybe, maybe a so-so retirement more or less on time, but no kids.

Some statistics here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_the_United_States

Generally trending upwards after 2000. Interestingly when split by race, Black, Asian and Hispanics are at a much lower rate than White and American Indian. I know in Asian and Hispanics (and probably Black) households it is common for multiple generations to live and take care of each other.

In a way that makes, people in lower incomes generally have more of a reliance on one another. Financial independence often means independence and people who are independent often struggle with asking for help.

Because there's hugely more of them, and they die of heart attacks and RTAs as well as killing themselves.

https://imgur.com/a/iktpfjS

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