Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. We want to know if current research could help us find a solution…
There are myriad stories. People who were laughing an hour before they took their own lives. People who were simply ‘not quite themselves’. People who had struggled with long-term depression. People who had a history of suicide in the family. Successful people who seemed to have everything to live for.
They all decided to kill themselves. Official records say that in the UK in 2016, 4,508 men and 1,457 women died as a result of suicide, but some experts believe the true numbers may be as high as double that. Men appear particularly vulnerable: in fact, suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50 in the UK, claiming more lives than car accidents, heart disease or cancer. If it were a new disease, suicide would surely prompt a national emergency.
The reasons so many men take their lives are mysterious and infinitely diverse – a complex web of social, psychological, biological and cultural pressures. But new scientific approaches are presenting unexpected avenues for disentangling the threads. Virtual reality experiments and artificial intelligence are revealing those most at risk and could even predict who is most likely to try and take their life. Meanwhile, theories of male ‘social perfectionism’ are throwing light on why men feel they have failed. Together, they offer the prospect of better prevention.
Risk factors
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2019-Ausgabe von Very Interesting.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2019-Ausgabe von Very Interesting.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
HOW TO MASTER YOUR METABOLISM
Ready to welcome a leaner, healthier you? It's time for a metabolic makeover. With a few simple, research-backed changes, you can supercharge your body's calorie-burning
A BLUEPRINT FOR ANTI AGEING
Science says it's time to rethink - and take control - of our body's age. Here's how to slow, halt and potentially turn back your biological clock
THE BROKEN MIRROR
Body dysmorphia - the all-consuming obsession with perceived flaws in our looks - is sweeping the globe. One in five young people is thought to be affected. What can be done and how is tech changing the way we see ourselves?
SCROLL REVERSAL
Losing days by endlessly scrolling on your smartphone? You're not alone. Perhaps neuroscience can help us beat the urge
Going back to the moon
ARTEMIS AND A NEW DAWN OF LUNAR EXPLORATION
SAD CLOWN PARADOX: WHY TEARS OFTEN LIE BEHIND THE LAUGHS
Mental health issues are common among comedians and performing is just one way they can self-medicate
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION: HOW COOKING CAN DAMAGE YOUR DNA
From roast dinners to scented candles, there are potentially harmful pollutants lurking in every home
FARM OF THE FUTURE
Join the BBC's Planet Earth III film crew and go behind the scenes in the city farm that's transforming fields into towers and running almost everything with robots
COULD ONE BOMB DESTROY THE WORLD?
How big a bang are arms manufacturers capable of creating?
THE THREAT OF DAY ZERO
Queues at public water taps could become normal. What can we do to avoid them?