It’s interesting that, despite the supposedly hard economic conditions of recent years, the officially recorded number of deaths from suicide has been falling.
It hit an all-time peak of 4,406 in 2006, dipped to 3,933 in 2007, went back up to 4,128 in 2008, and since then has fallen year by year to 4,063 in 2009, 3,889 in 2010, and 3,507 last year.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be causing or contributing to the falling trend? Is the general populace growing happier with their lot in life? Are economic, academic and social pressures easing?
Icon might have the right idea. What’s the most popular way of committing suicide here? Perhaps they’ve found a better way to counteract whatever the method is.
It might also be useful to see if the reduction is statistically significant. Perhaps 500 here or there doesn’t really represent a real change.
[quote=“NonTocareLeTete”]Icon might have the right idea. What’s the most popular way of committing suicide here? Perhaps they’ve found a better way to counteract whatever the method is.
It might also be useful to see if the reduction is statistically significant. Perhaps 500 here or there doesn’t really represent a real change.[/quote]
A lady was sitting out on a ledge a couple weeks ago. The fire department had set up a massive inflatable pad to cushion her fall. When I checked again,she was gone and the pad was being packed up. I’m pretty sure she didn’t jump. I’m not sure if the pad would have saved her life or if it was enough to make her think jumping would have been futile, but it seems the government is actively trying to reduce suicides and may be succeeding!
One of the big reasons is the tightening of insurance rules. For example, the extended families of bureaucrats in Taiwan used to be eligible to receive insurance if their loved one committed suicide. Now they aren’t.
Might be something to that. Taiwan now has a demographic bulge in the older agegroups, and apparently people in their fifties are the most “centred” and (generally) happy with their lot in life. The education system is now slightly less shite than it was ten years ago, so young people (who are the biggest suicide risk) have slightly less reason to top themselves … and there are fewer of them anyway.
I guess we can assume driving a motor vehicle like it’s a dodgem car is specifically excluded.
There were a lot of suicides over debt. Credit cards and cash cards were putting a lot of peole into serious financial troubles. 2005-6 would have been when the government cracked down on easy credit.
Right,the Georgy & Mary ‘ka zhai’. I remember it well. The government had to change the debtor rules there were so many people under severe pressure and the banks themselves took a big hit in the end
I’ve heard that one if the architects of easing credit was Jeffrey Koo the man who then went on to bribe CBS to approve the Longtan land deal. Lovely fellow.
banning banks from usury would be a great thing. The USA banks regularly charges some 24pct per annum on credit card debt. I am paying off my fiancee’s indonesian citibank card (thank goodness her limit is only 900 bucks) because they charge 42pct per annum over there !!! BIG OUCH.
Thats usury, especially in the muslim world should result in bank managers being beheaded.
Hanging, poison…Jumping into a river is kind of traditional (assuming they can’t swim). Or using a coal-burning heater, with all the doors and windows sealed.
No other word to describe. Taichung City. I was in shock for 30 minutes at least. It’s scary stuff. We didn’t have the time to talk to him, just saw the jump.
Our old house is just down the road from where we live now - we had such a nice neighbour there, she was always helpful, cheerful, friendly. Mother of 3, and had plenty of gentle advice when we were strggling with our new born. She’s just taken her own life, no big reason. Blocked up the bathroom, lit some charcoal, gassed herself. We went down to see the family today, husband and 3 teenage kids. It was really hard, and I choked up a little on memories.
That’s really sad that her family is left without their mother. A lot of people bottle things up, try to stay strong for the family, seen as the smiley one whatever, and then one day the last straw occurs, they snap and if you are lucky you catch them as a cry for help, if not…
Not to take away from your story, I’m in the process of moving house at the moment and we saw an empty apartment nearby.
In the bedroom there’s a wooden floor and burned into the floor was a circle. The room still smelled of smoke and nobody has bothered to even clean the burned area.
Don’t know if it was what I’m thinking it was but it was really creepy.
Shit man, I hope that’s not the same place I saw, Taichung city?!
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