Suicide

:laughing:

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You do have the option of not reading it.
Gobshite.

Ah foooking lovely.

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The “industrialised developed world” is a function of economics.

Suicide is not a by-product of the human condition. Unhappiness, severe unhappiness or despair is. Suicide however can be a by-product of the latter.

People take their own own lives for reasons directly related to economics, such as being in debt or joblessness, which amplify despair.

Lack of social support can be directly related to economics - a person may be forced to emigrate due to economic conditions and thus have no social support when they leave their home place.

Lack of sleep or lack of exercise can be related to economics - a person may have to work three jobs to pay the bills, and be constantly tired. As well as a lack sleep and the resulting lack of exercise due to having little energy, this promotes lack of social interaction. Joblessness promotes lack of social interaction. Joblessness or poor pay promotes a poor diet. It may promote a lack of sunlight exposure. All of the previous promote negative thoughts. All are tied to economics.

Social media, while it has upsides in terms of making communication easier for people who have emigrated, is also the perfect tool of the ultra-individualist ethos associated with latter day capitalism. It is a tool within which the individual tends to assume, or attempts to assume, an identity which becomes a competitive commodity within a market, as opposed to functioning merely as a means of communication. It creates a fake world associated with conspicuous beauty, conspicuous success and conspicuous consumption, all of which drive expectations and drive unhappiness. Reality minus expectations = happiness. In a world in which it is now accepted (in the “West”, at any rate) that the current generation of young people are and will be the first to have standards of living which are inferior to those of their parents, this can only drive increased levels of unhappiness and despair.

The increases we have seen in depression and depression related suicide have occurred over a multi decade period when economic conditions have improved. In terms of standard of living, most people in the west are far better off than previous generations. Go back two generations in Ireland and compare to the present day. What were welfare programs like two generations ago? Health care? Job opportunities? Housing standards? Are you seriously trying to suggest people in general have things worse now, on some kind of economic basis?

Depression doesn’t only affect the disadvantaged in society, which seems to be what you’re suggesting. In fact quite the opposite, there is an epidemic of depression and suicide in the richest communities in the US for example. Depression is caused by changes in brain chemistry, which is almost entirely due to lifestyle. You don’t have to be rich to avail of a healthy lifestyle, in fact the opposite may be closer to the truth.

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@Sidney @anon7035031 it’s fucking new year’s eve, don’t start

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Here hear. What a fucking load of dirge.

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New year’s eve is when we do our finest work, mate.

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Good golly miss Molly :sunglasses::nerd_face::kick_scooter::zipper_mouth_face::kissing_heart::laos::orange_heart::el_salvador::orange_heart::el_salvador::el_salvador::orange_heart::el_salvador:

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Again, reality - expectations = happiness.

You appear to be suggesting that people should be grateful if people are not living in the same absolute poverty as tenement era Dublin, they have no reason to be depressed.

Things for the current generation are worse than for the generation before them. That’s an undeniable fact. Have you been sleeping under a rock?

My parents bought a house in Dublin for £9,000. I don’t know what my father was earning in 1977, but I highly doubt the price of the house was more than three times his salary. Wages against productivity have fallen off a cliff in the last 30 years.

We have an epidemic of homelessness in Dublin now because even renting has become beyond the reach of many.

Have a look at the PrimeTime Investigates programme to see the type of conditions people are living in in Dublin. In some cases, 60 to a house, and a fire hazard. Tell me that isn’t a likely cause of mental health problems.

Have a look at the type of conditions people exist in the US and tell me this doesn’t contribute to mental health problems.

Nobody suggested advantaged people can’t be affected by depression. You’ll look hard to find anybody who has ever suggested such.

Lifestyle will generally be determined by economic means.

You’re suggesting that less well off people are more likely to have a healthy lifestyle?

Seriously, what the absolute fook?

This guy makes me laugh.

A big long post referencing this and that when all he does is state the bleeding obvious.

Most people are oblivious of the bleeding obvious mate. None more so than @sidney and the bunch of champagne socialists that egg him on.

I have tremendous respect for Sidney as he is actually honest and believes what he posts, unlike utter wankers like @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy and @Matty_Hislop who never encountered a day of anything resembling hard times in their lives.

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I’ve heard this said before but I don’t see it being the case on a personal level. I’m not saying you’re wrong but I’d like to see the reasoning behind it

Our generation is the generation that is perceived to have lived off the credit bubble. And now instead of saving money to pass on we are paying off debt

Why do you want to pass it on, arm your kids with all the education, skills and values they need and they’ll make their own way.

Where are you going to get the money to educate them, if you’re paying off debt?

I’d borrow it if it was an issue, but my suspicion is that there’s very few on here living on the breadline
Education in Ireland is very very affordable

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Who is going to give you the money? Forget about this forum. In general the bigger picture is not that great. I’m living in an estate where I could name at least 5 families who are forking out between 2 and 3k a month to the banks already before they even think about anything else

OK mate, some people have it tough but in this country they’ll still be able to educate their kids,

Try telling that to someone with a couple of kids in college both living away from home. 10k a year each minimum living expenses + whatever fees they need to pay is what I am told. Youd want to be saving for it alright :smiley:

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