WHO has quoted US suicide rate as about 14-15/100K population from its website (current most recent data appears to be from 2016), and there have been quite a few news release from various authorities in US including CDC that this rate will increase using 2017 data. On the other hand, for the past 10-20 years, China has been consistently declining from 20+ to about 8/100K population. US has better research resources and suicide prevention programmes targeting community and age-groups (e.g. in colleges, elderly adults, etc) and has a few key suicide prevention associations, while China has no national-based suicide prevention association and nation-wide strategy.
In the US we have freedom of expression and facts about illness and causes of death are accurately reported to look at trends over time. And ownership of firearms are protected under the Constitution. Major depression is highly associated w/ suicides and so is alcohol. Women attempt more; however men complete more in violent means.
This country is now experiencing the "US Incivility War". I'm attaching my published article in this regard.
China is an oppressive culture than America, and I presume they have no access to firearms except in their military. And suicides would be a critical indicator of the State's oppression.
Rich
The suicide rate in the U.S. is high, and getting higher, because the sense of anomie is most profound in America. This is due to the discrepancies between our ideals and realities. Equal opportunity is a myth and the pursuit of happiness through material acquisitions is destructive to the human spirit.
In short, in the USA, the welfare of any US citizens rest, first, on his/her effort and capacity to satisfy all of its needs, and second, on the limited assistance that the government can provide to them. The situation in China is quite different, and the state plays a more active role in satisfying their citizen’s needs, and their capacity to solve their needs come next.
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