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
income inequality between the rural and urban areas, and improve social equity. Such projects contributed to the introduction of Hu Jintao’s key idea of the “socialist harmonious society”, which strived for a more balanced economy and a higher quality of education, health care, and social security. Hu Jintao and his government created this campaign as a response to the rapidly increasing injustices and inequalities in the Chinese society, due to the unhindered economic growth. Alternatively, the society in the 2000s also experienced a higher level of individualism and self-sufficiency. On the one hand, it empowered a lot of young people, but on the other hand, caused a loss of familial and social ties. This may or may not contribute to a social crisis in the future with the society being gradually driven apart.

All the mentioned legislations and socioeconomic improvements influenced the mental health and suicide situation in China as well, as the rates dropped even further during the 2000-2010 period. During the 2000s the suicide rates around the country fell down from 15.4 cases per 100,000 people to an all-time low of 9.8 cases 2010 (MOH-VR). The suicide rates during the 2000s are visualised in the Figure 3.3, which is taken from the article by Sha Feng et al. (2016)

This reduction was mainly caused by a decrease in suicide rates among all the age groups in the rural areas, where the suicide rates in 2010 were 12.6 cases per 100,000 people (MOH-VR). Several essential statistical and demographic shifts happened during this decade. First of all, the difference between the rural and urban suicides decreased (Sha et al., 2016). Secondly, since the year 2006 the suicides rates of women are no longer higher than the suicide rates of men (Sha et al., 2016). Thirdly, rural and urban elderly suicides not only remained significantly high, but also continued to increase (Sha et al., 2016). During this period the younger population, especially the young women benefited the most. A myriad of people was able to migrate to the urban areas and leave all the damaging relationships and poverty behind.

In contrast, as mentioned, the suicides among the elderly became largely worrying during this period.
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
struggle.

As for the urban areas, there were perceivably more improvements.
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
cities.

Furthermore, as the “socialist harmonious society” project was underway, there were many significant improvements in the quality of education and medical care in the rural and the urban areas. These socio-economic changes, besides the widespread urbanisation of the decade, offered additional jobs, educational possibilities, and an easier access to health care services. In turn they became an effective protection against suicide ideation in the urban areas. Even though the situation also improved in the rural areas, the social stigma and insufficient knowledge about mental health still remained. In addition, due to a relatively easy access to the pesticides, the rural areas were not able to escape the higher numbers of suicide compared to the urban areas.

The decade of 2000-2010 was essential to the Chinese society because of the socio-political changes it brought. The government began adopting various legislations and campaigns to harmonise and improve the society. These actions definitely advantaged the overall well-being of the population, especially in the urban areas. The suicide rates plummeted to an all-time low, as rural residents flooded into the cities for the search of better education and career. Weaker extended family links allowed the youths to avoid many arguments that also decreased the suicide rates. However, the harmonious society ideas did not save the most vulnerable, as it could be seen with the rising suicide rates among the elderly population. They were left-behind in the rural areas by their children, with no societal or material support. Furthermore, this decade also portrays a divergence in the Chinese models of suicide. The rural areas still follow a more traditional profile, based upon collectivist and societal explanations, in comparison to the urban areas, where the epidemiological profile starts to resemble the Durkheimian theories.