Suicide In America

There period of the 2000s did not see many drastic economic transformations, yet this decade was vital for the economic growth and social improvements. From 2000 to 2010 the gross domestic product increased fivefold – from 1.2 billion USD to 6.04 billion USD (World Bank). It made China the second largest economy in the world, right after the United States of America. Nevertheless, the economic growth did not reduce the inequalities between the inland and coastal areas. Although around 50% of people resided in the urban areas, where the economic and social status was rather high, around 35% of people lived under $2 a day (Shapiro, 2016). In order to tackle this disparity, many legislations were called in, aiming to decrease unemployment, rebalance
Not only their suicide rates were the highest among all the age groups, but this particular age group had also been growing in numbers. According to the statistics, in the rural areas the suicide rates among men aged 70-74 are 41.7 cases per 100,000 people (MOH-VR), a much higher rate compared to the rest of the population. This was primarily caused by the increasing migration of the youth, who tend to leave their elderly parents behind in the villages. Youth’s suicide rates may have declined, however, the elders end up without any care or familial support (The Economist, 2014). The left-behind elders more often than not have the most vulnerable living situation and suffer from severe health conditions. Therefore, if there is no emotional or material support from the family, if the society alienates the person through poor social security systems or limited access to health care, that person might choose to end their life (Sha et al., 2016). Many do so because they do not want to be a burden to their family or purely do not see the purpose of continuing on living in
The privatisation of the companies, the increasing modernisation, more opportunities to have a better job definitely benefited people who lived in or chose to move to the cities. During the 2000s the living standards and the overall satisfaction with the urban lifestyle increased. The rising individualism and loss of ties with the extended families allowed many young women and men to avoid various family conflicts that used to cause a huge number of suicides (The Economist, 2014). The decrease of suicides, due to the urban development, may go against the Émile Durkheim’s idea of urbanisation, modernisation, and social independence increasing suicide rates (1897). The changes of this decade improved lives of the urban inhabitants and individuals, who were able to migrate to the