France and the US have the highest rates of depression in the world.

[Sprogster]

According to a report from the World Health Organisation, France together with the US have the highest rates of depression in the world.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/france-u-s-have-highest-depression-rates-in-world-study-suggests.html

[Evianers]

Doesn't Switzerland come pretty high up on the list too - or is that the suicide rate there?

[The Riff-Raff Element]

"On average, 15 percent of

people in high-income countries reported having an episode,

compared with 11 percent in low-income countries, according to

the study..."

Should we take this as being proof that money really doesn't buy happiness?

[Pickles]

This is the same study that names INDIA as having the highest rate of depression ... see below

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/india-named-worlds-most-depressed-nation-2325927.html

Regards

Pickles

[woolybanana]

The rest of the world has depression, the Brits have booze?

 

[idun]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

The rest of the world has depression, the Brits have booze?

 

[/quote]

Wooly, do you know how much booze is consumed in the UK and how much is consumed in France.

 

And if that looks like I know the answer,I don't, but was wondering if you did![Www]

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Certainly the rest of the world seem to have difficulty with the idea that booze is instead of food (something the British cracked years ago), so perhaps this is where they are going wrong.

 And of course the UK has the best TV, so instead of contemplating the pointlessness of being (a common pastime in France, as we all know) and getting all down in the dumps, Tommy Atkins just latches on to the cathode ray nipple until his brains melt and leak out of his ears, while grinning inanely.

I don't know why these academics have to go and make things so complicated. I suppose they need to justify their existence or face getting all depressed. I notice that part of the survey was done by telephone: do you think that they may have weighted in the potential emotional instability of someone actually willing to answer desperately personal questions over the 'phone?

[Rabbie]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

The rest of the world has depression, the Brits have booze?

 

[/quote]As alcohol is a depressant doesn't that come to the same thing[8-)]

[5-element]

Idun, in answer to your question, this might be a good place to start researching

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption

even though it IS Wikipedia...

 

and then this map showing the suicide rate in the world

http://chartsbin.com/view/prm

[Frederick]

The Yemen has now been struck off my holiday destination list . I bottle of scotch must be as hard to find as hens teeth .

[5-element]

According to the map in the link I posted above (can't seem to find the date for that world map!) the suicide rate is:

UK: 6.45 per 100,000

France: 17.25 per 100,000

This seems a rather phenomenal difference, almost 3 times more suicides in France than in the UK?

 

[woolybanana]

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="woolybanana"]

The rest of the world has depression, the Brits have booze?

 

[/quote]As alcohol is a depressant doesn't that come to the same thing[8-)][/quote]

Banana logic says that when you have drunk because you feel down and become depressed you immediately drink more and thus never recognize that you are depressed.[6]

[woolybanana]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]Certainly the rest of the world seem to have difficulty with the idea that booze is instead of food (something the British cracked years ago), so perhaps this is where they are going wrong.

 And of course the UK has the best TV, so instead of contemplating the pointlessness of being (a common pastime in France, as we all know) and getting all down in the dumps, Tommy Atkins just latches on to the cathode ray nipple until his brains melt and leak out of his ears, while grinning inanely.

I don't know why these academics have to go and make things so complicated. I suppose they need to justify their existence or face getting all depressed. I notice that part of the survey was done by telephone: do you think that they may have weighted in the potential emotional instability of someone actually willing to answer desperately personal questions over the 'phone?
[/quote]

Riff Raff, I am so glad you have come back amongst us with your delightful take on life. You bloggin again? Bored with life?

[woolybanana]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]"On average, 15 percent of people in high-income countries reported having an episode, compared with 11 percent in low-income countries, according to the study..."

Should we take this as being proof that money really doesn't buy happiness?
[/quote]

Too busy scrabbling to stay alive to be despressed?

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="5-element"]

According to the map in the link I posted above (can't seem to find the date for that world map!) the suicide rate is:

UK: 6.45 per 100,000

France: 17.25 per 100,000

This seems a rather phenomenal difference, almost 3 times more suicides in France than in the UK?

 

[/quote]

It's actually quite simple. I went into this in some detail in 2009 when my brother took his own life. That was in the UK. His death was not recorded as a suicide though it was - to us - quite clearly so. A narritive verdict was returned.

At the inquest it was explained that suicide (and accidental death) are verdicts requiring a criminal level of proof; that is, beyond reasonable doubt. In practice this means that a note written immediately before the event making clear the intent of the deceased (or something similar) is required. A record of internet research on suicide and the systematic aquisition of the necessary medicaments (for example) would not be enough.

The upshot of this is that many deaths in the UK that are recorded as "open" or "misadventure" (usually returned in the case of teenaged hanging) or are given narritive verdicts would be recorded as suicide elsewhere, including in France.

WHO figures are compiled based on figures provided by national governements. In deference to the differing legal systems and cultures they do not massage the figures to bring them onto a common basis, though burried in their literature there are cautionary notes about this.

Mental health professionals are not so fettered by legal nicety and will go back through inquest records classifying deaths as probable suicides based on a less rigorous burden of proof. When this is done, the UK"suicide" rate comes only a very little lower than France's - in the 16s per 100,000 as I recall, though as you might appreciate I have no great tatse to dig through that particular exercise to get the exact figure once again.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

[quote user="The Riff-Raff Element"]Certainly the rest of the world seem to have difficulty with the idea that booze is instead of food (something the British cracked years ago), so perhaps this is where they are going wrong.

 And of course the UK has the best TV, so instead of contemplating the pointlessness of being (a common pastime in France, as we all know) and getting all down in the dumps, Tommy Atkins just latches on to the cathode ray nipple until his brains melt and leak out of his ears, while grinning inanely.

I don't know why these academics have to go and make things so complicated. I suppose they need to justify their existence or face getting all depressed. I notice that part of the survey was done by telephone: do you think that they may have weighted in the potential emotional instability of someone actually willing to answer desperately personal questions over the 'phone?

[/quote]

Riff Raff, I am so glad you have come back amongst us with your delightful take on life. You bloggin again? Bored with life?

[/quote]

Thanks Wooly! Just been very, very occupied (see my post above plus we expanded the business). The blog has just become active again in the last couple of weeks. Life is good. You OK?

[Christine Animal]

I'm pleased to see you back too Riff-Raff, though very sorry to hear what happened.

I remember when you "disappeared".  You asked if anyone could recommend a good restaurant in the Niort area and we found one.  The very experienced Loiseau thought it looked good too (I could find the thread).  We nearly went there, but finally never did.  Must still try it one day with a table by the water.  Did you ever get there finally?

Goodness, I can't believe it, it was back in 2007 !  It was the Auberge de la Rousille near Niort.  But maybe you went for a curry finally?!   [:D]  Or maybe you can't even remember now.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/869207/ShowPost.aspx

 

[Anton Redman]

IMHO All reported statistics on suicide are hugely skewed by the social attitudes of the country concerned.

[Patf]

And by their legal definition of suicide.

eg - when is an overdose of drugs and/or alcohol intentional or unintentional?

[5-element]

Riff-Raff, so very sorry to read about your personal experience of suicide. Thanks to you and others,  for explanations about the gap in countries' suicide rates, it makes a lot of sense. I did wonder, as it did not seem quite right that there would be such a huge difference between France and UK.

[idun]

Sadly the truth is that I personally know of far more suicides in France than I do in the UK. How this affects the figures I don't know.

The latest was one of my sons' friends, they were still  in touch, but only occassionally as he had moved, as had they. And such is the state of my youngest son's health  that I daren't even dare tell him, in case he did the same. He was still 'unstable' since another friend had killed himself the year before.

[Rabbie]

There was an outbreak in Wales last year. 20 or so young people all committed suicide over a period of a few months

[mint]

Oh, yes, Rabbie, I remember now.

That was in Bridgend which was our nearest biggish town.

What I have wondered is whether guns are used more often in France than in the UK.  Certainly, I knew someone in Cognac who shot himself in his garage.

What I felt was really horrible are the people who jump in front of trains.  Apparently, there are train drivers who have been severely traumatised running over the suicides.

[Anton Redman]

[quote user="Frederick"]The Yemen has now been struck off my holiday destination list . I bottle of scotch must be as hard to find as hens teeth .[/quote]

One of an ex colleages better moments was buying old wine which had never sold when they nationalised the Eden Roc.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="5-element"]Riff-Raff, so very sorry to read about your personal experience of suicide. Thanks to you and others,  for explanations about the gap in countries' suicide rates, it makes a lot of sense. I did wonder, as it did not seem quite right that there would be such a huge difference between France and UK.[/quote]

I was surprised at the time it happened to what extent suicide is still stigmitises the family in the UK. My niece (now 13) was on the receiving end of some very unsavoury bullying at school that was based on her father having killed himself. The school seemed strangely reluctant to deal with the situation, appearing not to want to mention the "S" word in public. A charity which helped her and her mother at the time said that this was common.

When the father of my daughter's best friend took his own life (also in 2009), on the other hand, the school here handled it completely openly and she was supported by teachers and students alike with not an unkind word uttered to her.