It is very difficult to properly assess 2020-2021 survey data both because the "you should be depressed" messaging is very strong in the media and the bias in who responds to surveys is complicated by the pandemic.
I am a Canadian and we saw an enormous drop in suicides, 30+%, in 2020 despite survey data (and wacky conspiracies) to the contrary.
I don't think it is "safe to say" much of anything about suicide rates or individual motivations, it is a complex issue.
Many people have lost family members and been pushed into poverty. It is incredibly callous to think mental health can be discretely measured without accounting for the environment.
Suicide is not a quantitative measure of mental health.
I don't know who said you can measure mental health without accounting for the environment, I never made that claim! I literally said "I don't think it is "safe to say" much of anything about suicide rates or individual motivations, it is a complex issue."
I'd say a population with high suicide rates is more afflicted by mental health issues than one with lower rates. What would you say?
Simply put: I could purposely crash my car and it would not be counted as a suicide or homicide.
While there are a lot of reasons for that to be the case, my point is the numbers are not representative of our current position.
A more holistic approach measuring alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, social media sentiment, and workforce participation.
Unfortunately, all of which are indicating that the majority are collectively suffering.
"Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative?"(1978) https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-01001-001
Additionally, there seems to be a stigma attached to not caring about a particular event, especially if doesn't affect you, all because of the slippery slope argument which is a fallacy.
How did you come to think depressions' cause must be internal ?