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To be fair, the title doesn't say it will tell you why the suicide rate in Greenland is so high... Fact is, it isn't completely clear why the rate is so high.

To be fair, the title doesn't say it will tell you why the suicide rate in Greenland is so high... Fact is, it isn't completely clear why the rate is so high. Rapid modernization, decades of Danish control, a disappearing culture/way of life and lack of mental health facilities can all be named as factors. Sorry were annoyed and feel like you've wasted your time on a well written, well researched human interest piece. And yes, sometimes you need to know just the bare facts. But do you really have to know the reasons behind the high suicide rate in Greenland? Or were you triggered by the headline? In that case a human interest story conveys the message a lot better than just the numbers. To me, Hacker News is about triggering curiosity about things that were previously unknown by me. Stories like these remind me that there is a world beyond choosing if I want soy milk or regular milk in my mochachino. But hey, let me save you a couple of minutes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Greenland#Reasons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Greenland#Reasons

thaumasiotes 11y ago
Suicidal ideation (as well as completed suicide, of course) is known to be higher in the indigenous peoples of Canada than in the white population. I have seen it advanced that the eskimo tradition of suicide by walking out into the wilderness if you're a burden on your family probably has something to do with this. This is mildly in conflict with the finding that there's more suicide in Greenland in summer than in winter, but worth considering.
- dagw 11y ago
  This is mildly in conflict with the finding that there's more suicide in Greenland in summer than in winter, but worth considering. I've seen some theories that people in general don't commit suicide while under active hardship, but after the hardship lets up a bit and they have time to reflect on it. Also relative hardship is far more important than absolute hardship. During the winter everybody is a bit miserable and under the weather so you don't stick out so much. When the summer comes and everybody but you cheer up the contrast becomes a lot more noticeable.
  - thaumasiotes 11y ago
    > I've seen some theories that people in general don't commit suicide while under active hardship, but after the hardship lets up a bit and they have time to reflect on it. When suicide is driven by an established tradition of leaving so that your family doesn't starve, you really expect it to occur in winter. By the time the hardship is gone, so is the justification for suicide.
- dirktheman 11y ago
  Maybe it has to do with the fact that people stay indoors more in the winter, thus being around other people more. And yeah, this isn't a problem limited to Greenland. There has been a lot of news lately about the suicide strings at Attawapiskat. And Alaskan natives are twice more likely to commit suicide than non-natives.
- sevenless 11y ago
  It might simply be that being from a hunting culture implies less squeamishness about killing and having the means readily to hand. It's obvious to suspect gun ownership as a factor. Doctors have a very high suicide rate, and some of that is due to their knowledge and ability to kill themselves properly.
Aaargh20318 11y ago
>To be fair, the title doesn't say it will tell you why the suicide rate in Greenland is so high... It is highly suggestive that it will though. > Fact is, it isn't completely clear why the rate is so high. Then why bother writing an article about it at all ? > And yes, sometimes you need to know just the bare facts. No, I always want just the bare facts. Anything else simply isn't relevant. You may call it "well researched human interest" I call it filler material. It feels like a high-school kid trying to make the minimum word count for an essay.
- deathcakes 11y ago
  Sounds like a pretty empty way to approach life. You've never considered that reading more around a subject than just the facts might open the way to greater insight? Or are you genuinely of the opinion that everything in life can be expressed in bullet point format?
- dwaltrip 11y ago
  A short list of facts doesn't tell the whole story. They are barren and lack deeper context. They can be understood academically, but sometimes that is shallow, clinical, and doesn't reveal the true nature of something, just a simplistic, factoid level idea of it. A story is a series of facts, but can provide a richer understanding sometimes, as one can build a cohesive picture in their mind.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

thaumasiotes 11y ago

Suicidal ideation (as well as completed suicide, of course) is known to be higher in the indigenous peoples of Canada than in the white population. I have seen it advanced that the eskimo tradition of suicide by walking out into the wilderness if you're a burden on your family probably has something to do with this. This is mildly in conflict with the finding that there's more suicide in Greenland in summer than in winter, but worth considering.

dagw 11y ago
This is mildly in conflict with the finding that there's more suicide in Greenland in summer than in winter, but worth considering. I've seen some theories that people in general don't commit suicide while under active hardship, but after the hardship lets up a bit and they have time to reflect on it. Also relative hardship is far more important than absolute hardship. During the winter everybody is a bit miserable and under the weather so you don't stick out so much. When the summer comes and everybody but you cheer up the contrast becomes a lot more noticeable.
- thaumasiotes 11y ago
  > I've seen some theories that people in general don't commit suicide while under active hardship, but after the hardship lets up a bit and they have time to reflect on it. When suicide is driven by an established tradition of leaving so that your family doesn't starve, you really expect it to occur in winter. By the time the hardship is gone, so is the justification for suicide.
dirktheman 11y ago
Maybe it has to do with the fact that people stay indoors more in the winter, thus being around other people more. And yeah, this isn't a problem limited to Greenland. There has been a lot of news lately about the suicide strings at Attawapiskat. And Alaskan natives are twice more likely to commit suicide than non-natives.
sevenless 11y ago
It might simply be that being from a hunting culture implies less squeamishness about killing and having the means readily to hand. It's obvious to suspect gun ownership as a factor. Doctors have a very high suicide rate, and some of that is due to their knowledge and ability to kill themselves properly.

Aaargh20318 11y ago

>To be fair, the title doesn't say it will tell you why the suicide rate in Greenland is so high... It is highly suggestive that it will though. > Fact is, it isn't completely clear why the rate is so high. Then why bother writing an article about it at all ? > And yes, sometimes you need to know just the bare facts. No, I always want just the bare facts. Anything else simply isn't relevant. You may call it "well researched human interest" I call it filler material. It feels like a high-school kid trying to make the minimum word count for an essay.

deathcakes 11y ago
Sounds like a pretty empty way to approach life. You've never considered that reading more around a subject than just the facts might open the way to greater insight? Or are you genuinely of the opinion that everything in life can be expressed in bullet point format?
dwaltrip 11y ago
A short list of facts doesn't tell the whole story. They are barren and lack deeper context. They can be understood academically, but sometimes that is shallow, clinical, and doesn't reveal the true nature of something, just a simplistic, factoid level idea of it. A story is a series of facts, but can provide a richer understanding sometimes, as one can build a cohesive picture in their mind.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]