''Social inequality is the cause of suicide" – Sociologist

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Zoobie-Zoobie 10 years ago

does it mean with social equality no suicide

does it mean with social equality no suicide
Joey Accra 10 years ago

So rich people do to commit suicide? And why don't all poor people commit suicide?

So rich people do to commit suicide? And why don't all poor people commit suicide?
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

DIARY OF A STOOPID GH
A BETTER, PROPEROUS, MODERN, FORWARD THINKING GH STARTS WITH YOU!
IF YOUR LIVING SITUATION IS GOOD, THEN GHANA WILL BE GOOD.
IF YOU ARE CONFUSED, DISORIENTED, UNORGANIZED, FEARFUL, IN DEBT/DEATH,
THE ...
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DIARY OF A STOOPID GH
A BETTER, PROPEROUS, MODERN, FORWARD THINKING GH STARTS WITH YOU!
IF YOUR LIVING SITUATION IS GOOD, THEN GHANA WILL BE GOOD.
IF YOU ARE CONFUSED, DISORIENTED, UNORGANIZED, FEARFUL, IN DEBT/DEATH,
THEN GH WILL BE THE SAME.
TRAITS OF A DUMB GHANAIAN
1.LEAPS BEFORE HE LOOKS, THEN SAYS.."MEWUOO! AWURADE BUA ME OOOOO
2.HAS NO GRATITUDE. FASTFOOD BRAIN. EASILY FORGETS
3.HAS NO FORESIGHT. FAST FOOD MENTALITY
4.LACKS MENTALITY TO PLAN LONGTERM
5.COMPOUND INTEREST IS A MYTH
6.BELIEVES AND PLACES FAITH IN INNATE, ILLOGICAL IDEALS LIKE JUJU, FAMA NYAME, 3B3Y3 YIE WAI.
7.DESPISES RESEARCH
8.PREFERS TO ACT, SPEAK, AND REASON EMOTIONALLY, THAN LOGICALLY
9.COMFORTABLE WITH MEDIOCRITY
10.DESPISES CONTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
11.FUN OR PARTY TODAY, SUFFER LATER
12.INSTANT GRATIFICATION
13.PREFERS TO ARGUE, DEBATE INCESSANTLY WITHOUT REAL, CONCRETE, COLD HARD FACTS!
14.COMFORTABLE WITH MEDIOCRITY
15.INCAPABLE/LOOKS DOWN ON DOING CHARITABLE DUTIES
16.LACKS INITIATIVE
17.PREFERS TO STEAL, LIE, CHEAT, TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS
18.SUCCESS DOE NOT = HARDWORK AND CAREFUL PLANNING
19.HATES TO ASK
20.KNOW IT ALL
21.ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE EASY ROUTE, SHORTCUT TO SUCCESS
22.HEY SMALLBOY!....BRA HA!
23.BELIEVES SUCCESS IS ATTRIBUTED TO AWURADE NSHIRA(GOD'S BLESSING) AND NOT HARDWORK, DISCIPLINE AND CAREFUL PLANNING.
24.DOES NOT BELIEVE IN LEAVING ASSETS/PROPERTY FOR THEIR OFFSPRING.
25. ALWAYS PROCRASTINATING...M3Y3, M3Y3..AH, MESE M3Y3. MASSA, IF YOU R GOING TO PRESSURE ME THEN MENY3 BIOM!
26.SPENDS LOADS OF MONEY ON THE LOTTERY. WITHOUT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE REALITIES OF PROBABILITY.
27.BELIEVES IN LUCK, OVER HARDWORK AND DISCIPLINE.
28.BUILDS ASSETS, SKYSCRAPPERS, STADIUMS IN THEIR MOUTHS AND BELLYS!
HAPPY, HEALTHY N A WEALTHY 2014 FOLKS!
OBENG CONSULTS
tuxman06@yahoo.ca
skype: CHEWBACCA (@NIAGARA FALLS)
JOHN 10:10
THE TRUTH WILL MAKE U RICH!
NII YEBUAH 10 years ago

THE CLERGY USED TO BE FOR THE POOR. PASTORS USED TO TELL US NOT TO BE GREEDY FOR THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. THEY USED TO TELL US NOT TO PILE UP TREASURES ON THIS EARTH.

TODAY , THEY TELL US IF YOU ARE NOT RICH THEN YOU ARE ...
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THE CLERGY USED TO BE FOR THE POOR. PASTORS USED TO TELL US NOT TO BE GREEDY FOR THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. THEY USED TO TELL US NOT TO PILE UP TREASURES ON THIS EARTH.

TODAY , THEY TELL US IF YOU ARE NOT RICH THEN YOU ARE NOT BLESSED. RICH CRIMINALS ARE EXALTED. THE PASTORS ARE LOOTING AND STEALING.

THE POOR FEEL THEY ARE CURSE. THEY FEEL IT IS THEIR FAULT THEY ARE POOR.
THIS LEADS TO DESPERATION AND SUICIDE.
KnYc (USMC) 10 years ago

Yes you are right, all because of education, the limited education by P/NDC is the cause of our problems. And to those who do not agreed with me, after closing our higher education by then the morons in P/NDC this is the caus ...
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Yes you are right, all because of education, the limited education by P/NDC is the cause of our problems. And to those who do not agreed with me, after closing our higher education by then the morons in P/NDC this is the cause of our down fall. From 1982 to 1992, how many people where left out of higher education? By than, that fool JJ sent his kids to UK & US to get educated. Now we have so many people who lack the capability of critical thinking. You do the math, all you fool soldiers.
Kwame Dokyi 10 years ago

Dr.Who? You have missed the point in the sociological perspective; humanistic view!! America is the richest country in the world, but the youth, predominantly from wealthy families, kill others and commit suicide. That does n ...
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Dr.Who? You have missed the point in the sociological perspective; humanistic view!! America is the richest country in the world, but the youth, predominantly from wealthy families, kill others and commit suicide. That does not eliminate the fact that inner-city minority violence should be muted!Discuss!! Stop quaffing beer on campus and revise your notes!!!!
ELINAM 10 years ago

For the mere fact that you think some education from some culturally bankrupt White institutions can bring about some magic to a people who had forgotten the principles of life in the first place beats my mind.

In a docume ...
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For the mere fact that you think some education from some culturally bankrupt White institutions can bring about some magic to a people who had forgotten the principles of life in the first place beats my mind.

In a documentary, "Why Africa loves Mandella", Mandella was saying of the structure of African societies, that in the past, before the uncultured white man met us, the African who was travelling needed to carry no food or too much needs because societies across Africa were set up to receive, lodge and feed strangers who are passing thru.(Was that came from western education or WISDOM of our forefathers?)
Find that docu and educate yourself and learn how to think outside the box.
Too many learned Ghanaians did no shit for our country but rather became a liability on the state purse instead of possibility to lift us all up. And stop fooling yourself that certain Ghanaians in certain political groupings are well educated enough to take us too the promise land when actually these ppl refused to think outside their so-called oxford educated mind set which is nothing but a gate-keeping mechanism for the interests of powers/enemies that are keeping us all down.
KnYc (USMC) 10 years ago

Mixing apples with oranges.

Mixing apples with oranges.
william 10 years ago

Follow follow christians brethren, wake up. Help our pastors to shape up for GOD with true message and examplary life style like Pope Francis is trying to refocus!

Follow follow christians brethren, wake up. Help our pastors to shape up for GOD with true message and examplary life style like Pope Francis is trying to refocus!
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

One afternoon, a man was riding in the back of his limousine when he noticed two men eating grass by the roadside. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate. ‘Why are you eating grass?’ he asked one man. ...
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One afternoon, a man was riding in the back of his limousine when he noticed two men eating grass by the roadside. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate. ‘Why are you eating grass?’ he asked one man. ‘We don’t have any money for food,’ the poor man replied. ‘Oh, come along with me then,’ the man from the limousine said excitedly. ‘But, sir, I have a wife with two children!’ ‘Bring them along! And you, come with us too!’ he said to the other man. ‘But sir, I have a wife with six children!’ the second man answered. ‘Bring them as well!’ So they all climbed into the car, which was no easy task, even for a vehicle as large as the limousine. One of the poor fellows expressed his gratitude, ‘Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you.’ The rich man replied, ‘No, thank you… The grass at my place is about three feet tall and I could use the help!’

SOCIAL INEQUALITY DOES NOT CREATE SUICIDE.RICH PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE ALSO.
MANY WEALTHY PEOPLE SOMETIMES COMMIT SUICIDE IN LAS VEGAS AND ITS NOT BECAUSE OF POVERTY.THE POOR PEOPLE ARE CONTENT WITH WHAT EVER IS GIVEN THEM.
LETS LOOK AT THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN GHANA MISSISSIPPI AND GHANA LOUISIANA AREAS,THEY DEPEND ON TILAPIA,CAT FISH,GRASS CUTTERS AND WILD LIFE BUT THEY LIVE BETTER.
JESUS SAID THE POOR YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU.
Akadu Mensema 10 years ago

Legon is a big joke! They study nothing but make a lot of conclusions.

Legon is a big joke! They study nothing but make a lot of conclusions.
Woman 10 years ago

is this reporter sure these were the claims the professor made? pathetically jumps to so many conclusions that are outright commonsensical and baseless.

is this reporter sure these were the claims the professor made? pathetically jumps to so many conclusions that are outright commonsensical and baseless.
MERLIC 10 years ago

The Police were not entirely wrong but giving the rapidly changing nature of the Ghanaian society, they will need to respond likewise. This incident is indeed unfortunate but you may agree that the Police rested too deep into ...
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The Police were not entirely wrong but giving the rapidly changing nature of the Ghanaian society, they will need to respond likewise. This incident is indeed unfortunate but you may agree that the Police rested too deep into their traditional comfort zone by being arbitrational albeit lacking any effective strategy to gain control over a volatile or irritable individual. It is appropriate to be empathetic yet mistakes need to be recognised so lessons can be learned. In effect, my own view is that the Police were not very professional. In hindsight, I recall that Ghana Police mostly fail to focus on relevant aspects of customer complaints. They often place value on other matters and before long refuse to focus on real and salient issues at stake. Sympathies, yes but the Police chief has needlessly lost his life because he probably employed an inappropriate or ineffective strategy. Sadly, the constable’s efforts were a wee bit ill-timed as well.
This man is most probably an undiagnosed mental case. For instance, a schizophrenic could act in a like manner which highlights the total neglect and plight of mental health patients in Ghana. This nation; Ghana, is really not progressing. You have some stupid, inefficient and functionally illiterate ministers stealing state money year after year with gross impunity. You have nearly as many pastors as the Ghanaian population itself who troop and invade the privacy of decent people with the most abhorred rudeness never ever witnessed in any civilised society. This is corrupt Ghana where the poor and dejected has no solace other than to live in abject poverty or succumb to illness; mental illness in this case and ultimately, to one’s final indignity. Is this man very well, or is he a possible mental case? How could a man walk into a guarded control unit in that way and presented the way he did knowing that he was most likely to be shot dead?
For a country to develop, all the agencies and institutions must be well promoted and funded. Unfortunately, every sector of the Ghanaian society has been starved for ages; by one government after the other. The most effective aspect of government action (whether it was NPP or NDC has been to tax, tax and nonsense tax to rob mostly those living overseas and to some extent people in Ghana. Where is the money? The undeniable truth about effective governance is that Presidents have a responsibility to the people. They have a responsibility to be very tough, seriously hardened and ultimately indomitable to protect citizens from rampant exploitation and impoverishment otherwise people suffer abject poverty and become both physically and socially disorientated. President should stop these ceremonial things and act, act decisively to ensure opportunities and inclusion for all. This is the only way people can be saved and protected. This man may not be liable for his gruesome act if he is eventually diagnosed with an enduring mental illness.
So, why should we not re-visit our dead social and economic policies as a country? We need to accept that corruption, nepotism and naked stealing are everywhere and all these have been propelled by this Ghanaian brand of greed and avarice which has created insecurity and chaos everywhere. May the souls of both men rest in peace.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

THERE ARE MANY POOR PEOPLE IN SWAMPY VOLTA REGION MISSISSIPPI , VOLTA LOUISIANA,WESTERN REGION NZEMA BAYOU BUT THEY DON'T COMMIT SUICIDE.
PEOPLE IN THE KETA SCHOOL BOY AREAS AND TILAPIA AREAS LIVE LONGER THAN PEOPLE IN THE B ...
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THERE ARE MANY POOR PEOPLE IN SWAMPY VOLTA REGION MISSISSIPPI , VOLTA LOUISIANA,WESTERN REGION NZEMA BAYOU BUT THEY DON'T COMMIT SUICIDE.
PEOPLE IN THE KETA SCHOOL BOY AREAS AND TILAPIA AREAS LIVE LONGER THAN PEOPLE IN THE BIG CITIES.
Persona 10 years ago

Mental health

Mental health
abenayankey@gmail.com 10 years ago

Homosexuals spend time criticizing other
people.

Homosexuals spend time criticizing other
people.
Persona 10 years ago

You are the same right. are you going to male to female or female to male which? It's all coming out....I thought Ghana is now a modern, so whether you gay, bisexual or straight is noone business. so you are writing this st ...
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You are the same right. are you going to male to female or female to male which? It's all coming out....I thought Ghana is now a modern, so whether you gay, bisexual or straight is noone business. so you are writing this stupid jokes( there are not jokes) it says a lot about your mental state.
abenayankey@gmail.com 10 years ago

YOU ARE JUST A FAGGORT PUNK.YOU HAVE BEEN FUCKED IN THE MENTAL HOME.
ASS HOLE MOTHERFUCKER.

YOU ARE JUST A FAGGORT PUNK.YOU HAVE BEEN FUCKED IN THE MENTAL HOME.
ASS HOLE MOTHERFUCKER.
Don 10 years ago

You are the ultimate joke and a fool at that too.

You are the ultimate joke and a fool at that too.
PTS 10 years ago

You NEVER had an admission there hence having your PhD behind the chicken shop in US. No wonder you do not behave or look the part. You are now reduced to either talking nonsense on the Ghanaweb or correcting grammar. You foo ...
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You NEVER had an admission there hence having your PhD behind the chicken shop in US. No wonder you do not behave or look the part. You are now reduced to either talking nonsense on the Ghanaweb or correcting grammar. You fool.
PTS 10 years ago

Akadu Mensema is infact a specific danger to the Ghanaian society. He is infact a social misfit in every sense of the word and he is very likely to put so many of our village-minded folks in danger. Thanfully, in this parti ...
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Akadu Mensema is infact a specific danger to the Ghanaian society. He is infact a social misfit in every sense of the word and he is very likely to put so many of our village-minded folks in danger. Thanfully, in this particular matter CARDINAL shares a more realistic view and has offered to differ by explaining things genuinely.
boboski 10 years ago

yes it is true becos de gab between de rich and de poor is wide.the rich always feel isolated .see de amount of money our leaders are receiving and yet they are not working.

yes it is true becos de gab between de rich and de poor is wide.the rich always feel isolated .see de amount of money our leaders are receiving and yet they are not working.
GhanaBA 10 years ago

well folks, that's his opinion, i will suggest that suicides in Ghana are well investigated bcos reasons for suicides are diverse.

well folks, that's his opinion, i will suggest that suicides in Ghana are well investigated bcos reasons for suicides are diverse.
Blendon 10 years ago

There has never been any proven correlation between poverty and suicide. I wonder where the so-called holder of PhD got his facts from! How then does he explain why there are more suicides in the USA than in Ghana?

The iss ...
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There has never been any proven correlation between poverty and suicide. I wonder where the so-called holder of PhD got his facts from! How then does he explain why there are more suicides in the USA than in Ghana?

The issue of suicide has to do with coping with a stressful situation usually described as depression. Stress here could take so many forms, including economic, social and psychological problems not necessarily related to poverty. Even massive wealth can lead to sicide, because there are some very rich people who commit suicide because after amassing so much wealth, they still cannot grasp the meaning of it all in life, so they decide to "end it all".

Maybe Dr. Dzorgbo is extending his own tendency to feel depressed anytime he faces economic hardship to cover a social phenomenon that is broader in perspective than he wants the public to believe. However, for someone who heads the Sociology Department of a prestigious educational institution like the University of Ghana, I am not expecting the "Doc" to be so simplistic in his analysis!!
Kojo Billy Duncan 10 years ago

I sincerely hope he has been misquoted.

I sincerely hope he has been misquoted.
CARDINAL 10 years ago

"How then does he explain the high suicides rate in USA than Ghana"

Exactly. Countries like USA, Germany, England and many Western developed countries have high suicide rates than Ghana and that exactly is what this Profes ...
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"How then does he explain the high suicides rate in USA than Ghana"

Exactly. Countries like USA, Germany, England and many Western developed countries have high suicide rates than Ghana and that exactly is what this Professor explained which you failed to understand.

The Professor said as the country continue to attain middle income status and people start moving to urban areas for financial reasons, the suicide rate will imcrease due to the fsilures many will encounter.

As you said, the suicide rate in USA is higher because there is no family reliance in their cultural upbringing. In USA, it is each one for himself and God for us all.

The basic needs among US citizens is higher than that of a Ghanaian and failure to have those things make life really hard. Whereas having a car in Ghana is a luxury, in most USA states and cities, having a car is a necessity and that is what the Professor said. As we develop and our needs become extensive like countries like USA, failure to meet our needs will increase the suicide rate in Ghana.

It used to be that, one could walk into the family house in the cities and have a place to sleep. Now family houses is becoming extinct as we now just build houses for ourselves and ourchildren and leave the nieces, nephews and cousins out.

A typical Ghanaian used to be able to move back to the family compound in the city if things are not working out financially for him or her. Now that cushion is not there anymore because we have become "culturally sophisticated " living the western culture and family as we know it in Ghana has a different meaning now. Now when we talk of family in Ghana, it means, the husband, the wife and children.
Merlin, London 10 years ago

Shut up and stop being a copy-cat. Either add to what the lecturer said or provide a constructive critic to it. The lecturer did not state that rich people do not commit suicide. Also, you seem to agree that people get stress ...
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Shut up and stop being a copy-cat. Either add to what the lecturer said or provide a constructive critic to it. The lecturer did not state that rich people do not commit suicide. Also, you seem to agree that people get stressed and depressed for many reasons yet dismiss poverty as one of the causes of stress and depression. You said that there is no proven correlation between poverty and suicide. How do you justify that nonsense? What is your evidence for that assertion? Even more controversially, you report that 'stress here could take so many forms, including economic, social and psychological problems not necessarily related to poverty'. Are you saying that poverty cannot lead to psychological problems, depression or stress? I am quite keen to have you throw more light on the use of the word ‘not necessarily’. You mention that 'Even massive wealth can lead to suicide, because there are some very rich people who commit suicide because after amassing so much wealth, they still cannot grasp the meaning of it all in life, so they decide to "end it all". Do you mean that riches can lead to suicide but poverty cannot? Do you by implication assert that people can find meaning to life when their lives are riddled by abject poverty? You need to take a very holistic picture of abject poverty, people’s resilience and individual ability to cope and we need to review the structural and environmental implications of poverty in Ghana to understand the lecturer. I find not a thing wrong with the lecturer’s views even though these may not have been reported accurately. Your claim is baseless and so is that your stupid master.
My own view is that you make no sense at all even though you will normally be expected to analyse your views more critically before going public with your half-baked ideas. And my impression is that you just forced your way into this debate without thinking well about what you were going to say. Most probably, you are one of those Akadu disciples who tend to say anything at all in support of their master even if they know they were bound to talk rubbish. Just go back and read Akadu Mensema's comment and reflect. That man is just a twit with a battalion of semi-illiterate followers. Stop being a copycat.
Tekonline.org 10 years ago

There is CLINICAL depression, which has everything to do with CHEMICAL imbalance in the brain, and can affect ANYBODY, including kings, presidents, physicians, billionaires, professors-of-sociology, popes, detectives, chiefs, ...
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There is CLINICAL depression, which has everything to do with CHEMICAL imbalance in the brain, and can affect ANYBODY, including kings, presidents, physicians, billionaires, professors-of-sociology, popes, detectives, chiefs, evangelists, business tycoons, army generals, judges, philosophers, Nobel laureates, and fetish priests.

Clinical depression when not managed MEDICALLY can easily lead to suicidal tendencies.

But I can excuse him; this is an area for hardcore neuroscientists, not sociologists.
CARDINAL 10 years ago

Yours is surely true but what makes the Professor's suggestion not true? Did clinical depression just hit Ghana? What brings about clinical depression is not medical imbalance alone. When people failed to meet the needs of th ...
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Yours is surely true but what makes the Professor's suggestion not true? Did clinical depression just hit Ghana? What brings about clinical depression is not medical imbalance alone. When people failed to meet the needs of their dependents or their goals due to bad economic conditions as the Professor is saying, it can lead to suicides. There is empirical evidence of this in developed countries where suicide rate is high.

The Professor is really on point when he pointed out the breakdown of our family system as one aspect of the high suicide rate. The dependant system has givem way to individualism.

As the country grows out of the third world country status and become middle class country where the attainment of financial success becomes more valuable than caring for each other, the suicide rate will inch towards that of developed countries as many people will fail to attain the financial success they crave for and become despondent which leads to suicides.
Tekonline.org 10 years ago

We all have different setpoints for that "giving up" of the survival instinct. Would you Cardinal consider suicide if you became penniless with no avenue of hope whatsoever? What would it take for you to completely give up on ...
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We all have different setpoints for that "giving up" of the survival instinct. Would you Cardinal consider suicide if you became penniless with no avenue of hope whatsoever? What would it take for you to completely give up on life?

Studies have shown that most individuals with suicidal ideation have the biological substrate that makes them more SUSCEPTIBLE to socioeconomic or psychological factors. They have a much lower setpoint for overriding the survival instinct due to brain chemistry.
CARDINAL 10 years ago

Sir, whereas not many people will commit suicides due to poverty, you have to accept that, there are people who are weak mentally and give up on life easily.

Ask yourself why many people goes through debilitating divorce w ...
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Sir, whereas not many people will commit suicides due to poverty, you have to accept that, there are people who are weak mentally and give up on life easily.

Ask yourself why many people goes through debilitating divorce without killing their spouses and themselves, others do so because you or I will not commit suicide due to financial setbacks, there are a lot of people who will do that and it was even reported here in the forum some few dsys ago where a chief in Ashanti region committed suicide because he owed a woman Ghc50,000

I will not commit a suicide even if I owe all the money in the world but there are people out there who can't stand the pressure even they will commit suicide on hundred dollars and that is a reality.

What you are saying is true and I don't understand why you are disagreeing with the Professor. As you said, the suicidal chemical imbalance in some people are lower but these people do not commit suicide because of the low chemical imbalance. Something has to trigger this imbalance and poverty and lost of family support are some of the things that can trigger the suicidal tendencies in these people.

Thank you Sir for your educative comments.
Tekonline.org 10 years ago

Biology of Suicide
Wednesday April 29: NPR All Things Considered

What drives people to suicide? NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that in laboratories around the country, neuro-scientists are trying to find out. They're stud ...
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Biology of Suicide
Wednesday April 29: NPR All Things Considered

What drives people to suicide? NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that in laboratories around the country, neuro-scientists are trying to find out. They're studying the brains of people who've committed suicide and comparing them with people who died suddenly. People who commit suicide appear to have different brain chemistry than others.

You can read the transcript:

NOAH ADAMS, HOST: Every year, 30,000 Americans kill themselves. More than half of these people are clinically depressed, but that doesn't explain why they commit suicide. Eighty percent of all people suffering from depression never try to take their own lives. So, researchers want to know what distinguishes the two groups biologically. As part of our series on the end of life, NPR's Michelle Trudeau visited a suicide research lab in New York City.

MICHELLE TRUDEAU, NPR REPORTER: For the team of researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, trying to predict suicide begins every morning around 5:30 a.m. at the fax machine in the home of neuropathologist Andrew Dworck (ph). A single page arrives from the medical examiner of New York City -- a list of about a dozen names, of people who died suddenly during the previous 24 hours.

ANDREW DWORCK, NEUROPATHOLOGIST, THE NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE: And usually around 6:30 in the morning, I take a look at the list. And usually from the information I get on the list, I can figure out who is likely to be a candidate for inclusion in our study.

TRUDEAU: The list contains clues as to which persons may have committee suicide -- age, sex, time and place of death. In New York City for example, many suicides are by hanging or jumping from heights. Dworck will eliminate cases caused by drug overdose, because drugs would confuse the study of brain chemistry. Also needed for comparison purposes: people who died suddenly but not by suicide.

DWORCK: OK, so then we have, the next case is a 27-year-old, died suddenly of apparently natural causes. So, that's a case that we could use.

TRUDEAU: Although it's barely sunrise, Dworck has to work fast now, for the autopsies by the medical examiner will begin at 8:00 a.m. And before those begin, Dworck needs to get permission from the families of the victims, to take some brain tissue during the autopsy for his team's research. Families usually agree, says Dworck.

DWORCK: Sometimes people are even quite enthusiastic about it, especially with suicide cases. They say, "oh, yes, we're glad that people are doing research on suicide and we hope that this will help" and so on.

TRUDEAU: During the autopsy, half of the brain of the victim is removed and rushed back to the lab of team member Dr. Victoria Aranga (ph).

SOUND OF A LAB

VICTORIA ARANGA, DOCTOR, RESEARCHER,THE NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE: The brain arrives and this is the top of the brain. This is the bottom of the brain...

TRUDEAU: The brain is immediately flash-frozen so that they cells aren't damaged.

SOUND OF FREEZING MACHINE

And then cut into thin, thin slices. Looks kind of like meat slicer in a butcher shop.

ARANGA: It is exactly that, but very fine, very finely calibrated.

TRUDEAU: So that each slice of brain is paper thin, then gently glided onto a frozen glass slide by Aranga's lab assistant.

ARANGA: Very nice Manuella (ph), beautiful. There are no wrinkles. There are no rips. It's totally intact. I will be able to study every aspect of that brain once we do the experiment.

TRUDEAU: That experiment seems daunting: to search for some biological mark or trace amongst the billions of nerve cells, circuits, and cables in the brains of suicide victims that's not in the brains of people who've died of natural causes. But at least the team knows in which direction to head. Previous research has uncovered clues implicating a brain chemical called serotonin. Now, the job of serotonin is to regulate our moods. Many studies have shown that if a person's serotonin system is malfunctioning, then that person is apt to be more aggressive and impulsive, and also could be at higher risk for depression. So, our serotonin system is the brake on our reckless tendencies.

ARANGA: What we really think that is happening in suicide is that the person is unable to inhibit the desire to go ahead and kill himself or herself.

TRUDEAU: After a decade of work studying over 175 brains, the research group in New York has found that the serotonin braking system is defective in many suicide victims. Their brains are anatomically different than the brains of people who have died of natural causes. Specifically, Aranga has discovered a malfunction in the area of the brain right above the eyes called the pre-frontal cortex, the place where executive decisions are made dictating what feelings we will act upon and what feelings we will inhibit.

SOUND OF DOOR CLOSING

SOUND OF ELECTRONIC MACHINERY

TRUDEAU: Another team member, neuroscientist Mark Underwood (ph), is looking at a different part of the brains of suicide victims, at the back, an area called the brain stem. Enlisting the power of the computer, Underwood counts the number of serotonin nerve cells. There too, the serotonin system looks faulty.

MARK UNDERWOOD, NEUROSCIENTIST, NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE: We have found hat there are approximately 30 percent more of these serotonin neurons in the suicide victims than in the controls. To find more neurons would suggest something very fundamental, such that you may in fact be born with your biological risk for suicide behavior.

TRUDEAU: That's because you're born will all the neurons you'll ever have, and not only are there more serotonin neurons in the brain stem than there should be, but, Underwood adds, they're smaller, and they don't work right.

SOUND OF TYPING

In another part of the building, the head of the research team, psychiatrist John Mann (ph) sits in front of his computer.

JOHN MANN, PSYCHIATRIST, DIRECTOR, BRAIN CHEMISTRY RESEARCH, NEW YORK PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE: Just give me a second here while I find the file with the pictures.

TRUDEAU: Vivid colored pictures of brains pop up on the screen with the click of a mouse. These are images of the brains of living patients, because Mann wants to see if the faulty serotonin system can be detected in patients who may be suicidal, before it's too late.

MANN: So, this restraint mechanism, which seems to be at fault in completed suicides, may be detectable, by these kinds of imaging techniques, in live patients before they actually act on those thoughts.

TRUDEAU: And there does seem to be something detectable in these PET-scan pictures. Depressed patients who have tried to kill themselves seem to have lower serotonin activity than depressed patients who have never attempted suicide. The serotonin system that governs impulsive self-destructive behaviors is defective.

MANN: In other words, what we've identified are chemical transmitters in the brain that regulate, or seem to be associated with, serious suicidal behavior.

TRUDEAU: Many of these same patients, intent on trying to kill themselves, frequently can have trouble controlling other strong impulses Mann has found, turning their assault outward, being more aggressive verbally and physically toward others.

MANN: So, suicide really is an outcome of a combination of feelings and stressors that make a person feel like committing suicide, and the individual's particular propensity for acting on those feelings.

TRUDEAU: So, these researchers are narrowing in on a number of features that characterize suicide attempters and victims. But being able to reliably predict who will act on the impulse to commit suicide, and who will control that impulse, is still a scientific frontier. There's so many individual differences -- age, gender, psychological profile, genetic background, but these researchers are uncovering common biological threads that link victims of suicide, so that eventually, predicting suicides may be more reliable, and preventing suicides may be possible. Michelle, Trudeau, NPR News.

NOAH ADAMS: That report, part of our series on the End of Life: Exploring Death in America, which will continue on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED and other NPR programs in the months ahead. For more reading, visit our website at www.npr.org.

Copyright © 1998 National Public Radio, Inc. All rights reserved.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

MY FRIEND FROM THE SADA PROJECT TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE WITH AN AKONFEM IN FRONT OF A PACKED CAR,SADLY THE POLICE GAVE HIM A TICKET FOR OBSTRUCTION,IS IT THE CAUSE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY?
COACH TONY DUNGY'S SON HAD EVERYTHING ...
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MY FRIEND FROM THE SADA PROJECT TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE WITH AN AKONFEM IN FRONT OF A PACKED CAR,SADLY THE POLICE GAVE HIM A TICKET FOR OBSTRUCTION,IS IT THE CAUSE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY?
COACH TONY DUNGY'S SON HAD EVERYTHING TO LIVE FOR BUT HE COMMITTED SUICIDE .
Merlic, London 10 years ago

You are talking nonsense. Mental illness is rather much more complex than you think and it is too simplistic to think of only one explanation for any given case. CLINICAL DEPRESSION and chemical imbalance is true yet is about ...
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You are talking nonsense. Mental illness is rather much more complex than you think and it is too simplistic to think of only one explanation for any given case. CLINICAL DEPRESSION and chemical imbalance is true yet is about only one aspect of the causes of mental illness and even though it can affect anyone as you rightly said, you appear to be so very narrow-minded about the general and holistic views on mental illness. I can tell you that the sociology lecturer is right and you are only half way there.
Idi Amin Mobutu Mokassa Jr. 10 years ago

In the US, we often hear about millionaires, celebrities and individuals from rich families commiting suicides all the time. Several young students also commit suicide when they're bullied. We hardly hear about people commiti ...
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In the US, we often hear about millionaires, celebrities and individuals from rich families commiting suicides all the time. Several young students also commit suicide when they're bullied. We hardly hear about people commiting suicide just because they are poor or just because their neighbors are far richer than they are. I'm surprised that a Head of Sociology Department will come up with such a shallow conclusion.
CARDINAL 10 years ago

All the people you mentioned committing suicides do so because there is something they have failed to achieve that leads to their suicides.

For example, individuals from rich families usually commit suicide because they ha ...
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All the people you mentioned committing suicides do so because there is something they have failed to achieve that leads to their suicides.

For example, individuals from rich families usually commit suicide because they have failed to meet family expectations. Some Millionaires too commit suicides because their businesses might be failing and they cannot stand the societal shame of having had and lost it. People commit suicides not only because they are poor though hard times lead to surge in high suicide rate as the Professor said.

The Professor did not attribute high suicide rate in Ghana to just being poor but also mentioned the breakdown of our family structure. Whereas we used to depend on each other previously as the Professor said, now our family structure has also suffered from our exposure to western culture where individualism is valued.

Even look at the way we build houses now. Our grandfathers built family compound houses where almost every member of the family, from Uncles to Aunties and Cousins stay together. Now houses are built just for the wife and your children and a family member cannot just walk I'm there and expect to be accomodated. These are things the Professor talked about. The family support that used to be there to cushion against hard times have vanished due to our so called advancement which is nothing but change of culture values.
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

A man in Houston went into a library and asked for a book on how to commit suicide.

Cardinal the librarian said: "Fuck off, you won't bring it back "

A man in Houston went into a library and asked for a book on how to commit suicide.

Cardinal the librarian said: "Fuck off, you won't bring it back "
Persona 10 years ago

I told you so about your mental state.

I told you so about your mental state.
abenayankey@gmail.com 10 years ago

Homosexuals with penis like size of cigarettes spend time criticizing other men.
the Prince is a straight guy and he will never screw a faggot like you.

Homosexuals with penis like size of cigarettes spend time criticizing other men.
the Prince is a straight guy and he will never screw a faggot like you.
Persona 10 years ago

Do yourself a favour and disappear... you are useless to the human race... to think that someone gave birth an fool like you. You need to learn to respect yourself .... I told you that you put on this site says a lot of your ...
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Do yourself a favour and disappear... you are useless to the human race... to think that someone gave birth an fool like you. You need to learn to respect yourself .... I told you that you put on this site says a lot of your mental state of mind and I don't think I am wrong here... Take a long look in a mirror and tell yourself you are MAD
No Persona 10 years ago

Persona, you are a fool.
Allow Prince to give us jokes.
Would you rather have the divisive "debates" on tribe?
What your stupidity tells you to write on this forum tells a lot about your mental state.
Aboa.

Persona, you are a fool.
Allow Prince to give us jokes.
Would you rather have the divisive "debates" on tribe?
What your stupidity tells you to write on this forum tells a lot about your mental state.
Aboa.
Kofi UK 10 years ago

This lecturer could not cite any study or his own research to support his claim. He is causing academic havoc if he teaches his students this way. He does not even know the rate of suicide in the country and is talking about ...
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This lecturer could not cite any study or his own research to support his claim. He is causing academic havoc if he teaches his students this way. He does not even know the rate of suicide in the country and is talking about a rise. Is he going by hearsay or facts? There is a strong association between poverty and mental illness, unemployment and suicidal behaviour ( Barraclough et al). Lecturers show good example and state facts not opinion.
Shamu 10 years ago

Excessive corruption in Ghana is the cause of suicide. As a sociologist, you still did not say anything at all in your statement. What you said is a crab. This is very obvious to everybody the problem we are facing. Is very s ...
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Excessive corruption in Ghana is the cause of suicide. As a sociologist, you still did not say anything at all in your statement. What you said is a crab. This is very obvious to everybody the problem we are facing. Is very simple to understand that, people are too frustrated to a point that, they feel there is nothing they can do when someone they voted for neglect them. At the end of the day, they end up having no option but to kill themselves. As things continue to go the way it is going, it will come to a time, instead of individual suicide, they will start killing the officials by using themselves as weapons.
NANA BAAH 10 years ago

There are a lot of reasons why people tend to commit suicide:If this doctor thinks its mainly economical then it is also the responsibilty of the g,ment to make drastical changes:is there a social welfare system for temporary ...
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There are a lot of reasons why people tend to commit suicide:If this doctor thinks its mainly economical then it is also the responsibilty of the g,ment to make drastical changes:is there a social welfare system for temporary economic help to the poor until they are able to manage themselves? At the moment only a few top politicians are living in luxury hwile majority of the people cannot afford three meals a day- is this really right??
Yaw Berko 10 years ago

Relationship issues, bereavement, mental health issues, living beyond our means, unrealistic expectations, lack of coping strategies, financial issues, extreme stress, etc. There are various reasons why people commit suicide ...
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Relationship issues, bereavement, mental health issues, living beyond our means, unrealistic expectations, lack of coping strategies, financial issues, extreme stress, etc. There are various reasons why people commit suicide or murder-suicide. Every case is unique. It would be a good idea to have professional counselling agencies and helplines such as the Samaritans to delve deeper into the causes and inform us of support networks and counselling for the vulnerable.

We are extremely cruel and unsympathetic to people with mental health issues or those suffering from depression. Some turn to pastors and fetish priests, some who make matters worse due to lack of orofessional training and expertise. Over the past few years, suicide is on the increase amongst Ghanaians all over the world. Who is conducting scientific research and compiling the statistics? How many psychiatrists and psychologists do we have? Families and friends must take some of the responsibility and the blame. Tofiakwa!!
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

A man went into a library and asked for a book on how to commit suicide.

The librarian said: "Fuck off, you won't bring it back."

A man went into a library and asked for a book on how to commit suicide.

The librarian said: "Fuck off, you won't bring it back."
Kofi 10 years ago

What is your evidence? Do mean all those whose who commit suicide are poor people who cannot "climb" the ladder?

What is your evidence? Do mean all those whose who commit suicide are poor people who cannot "climb" the ladder?
Wiafe 10 years ago

The Doc was theorizing--and one of his indications is the breakdown of the family. The Ghanaian society is changing and the social structure is changing due to "global imports" of materialism, individualism, competition, etc ...
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The Doc was theorizing--and one of his indications is the breakdown of the family. The Ghanaian society is changing and the social structure is changing due to "global imports" of materialism, individualism, competition, etc.

In the past, the extended family system did help to provide a safety net for people on the margins--but that safety net is disappearing--creating people who are alienated, disconnected, and dislocated.

''Social inequality is the cause of suicide" – Sociologist

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