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Man dies in jump from Stuart Street hotel
By adamg on Fri, 03/22/2019 - 9:34pm
The man died after jumping from the 24th floor of the Revere Hotel, 200 Stuart St., shortly after 3 p.m. this afternoon. Police had been notified, but he jumped before they could reach him.
Do you feel suicidal, lonely, or depressed? Call or text the Samaritans Helpline, staffed 24/7: (877) 870-4673. Or visit the Samaritans Web site.
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Comments
Ugh ... there is always
Ugh ... there is always someone there to listen. Don’t do it
Massachusetts has really high suicide rates
If you or someone you know are struggling with depression, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The nonprofit Samaritans organization also offers 24-hour anonymous helplines. Dial 617-247-0220 in Boston or call the toll-free statewide line at 1-877-870-HOPE (4673).
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(Source:
https://patch.com/massachusetts/boston/man-dies-after-jumping-revere-hot... )
Statistics
According to the Center for Disease Control, Massachusetts had the 3rd lowest suicide rate among the 50 states in 2017, just above New York and New Jersey at 9.8 per 100,000. In Montana the rate was 28.9.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm
Put these two posts together
Both are true - let's add some context:
Sam points out that the rate is relatively low compared to other states.
OFDP points out that the suicide rate is relatively high compared to other causes of death .
So which matters most?
A high rate relative to other causes is a much bigger issue than a high rate relative to other states. For example, MA had a very high rate of fatal shark attacks compared to other states last year, but we have only had one death in 80 years and most states have no possibility of having any. The relative comparison with other places is, in this case, pretty irrelevant due to the extreme rarity of the outcome.
TL/DR: MA is doing something right to have a rate that is lower than most states. HOWEVER the net impact of suicide is relatively high here in terms of actual numbers of deaths.
My wild surmise
...is that perhaps Mass young people engage in less "misadventure", playing with guns/snowmobiles/motorcycles/highway driving etc than their cohort in other states AND they have better access to better healthcare as well. So those other causes of death are even lower by comparison than in other states. Also, perhaps our suicide rates per 100k might be lower because of better healthcare and more attention to the warning signs by our teachers etc, this could be an interesting and important area of research. Again, my thoughts here are totally unsubstantiated by any factual evidence, but seems plausible I suppose.
Possibly
but there is a simpler explanation. There is a well-established inverse correlation between suicide rate and population density. The usual inference, which seems to me likely to be correct, is that suicide is less likely among people who are immersed in a network of human connections. Solitude lowers our defenses. The correlation is particularly strong among young people. Correlation with many factors, including race, poverty, access to health care, etc. has been analyzed, and in the US the correlation with population density is the strongest, with access to firearms a close second.
Not having guns handy does help
It may not make much difference when it comes to people wanting to attempt suicide, but having something very lethal at hand does make a difference in the success of suicide attempts.
Massachusetts ranks 49th for gun suicide rates. Firearms are used in around 50% of suicides nationally, but only about 21% in MA (2.06/9.8 = 21%).
MA still has a low rate even if you account for that difference, but not having guns around does reduce the suicide death rate.
https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
http://vpc.org/press/state-firearm-suicide-rates-2016/
Contrarian for the sake of being contrarian
how are suicide rates in New Jersey, Montana, and New York specifically relevant to this story of a suicide that happened in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts
The mention of the state in your original comment made it appear to be a statement specifically about the rate of suicide in Massachusetts.
There are way too many suicides in Massachusetts, but there is no epidemic, nor do we live in a place where the rate is particularly high. I don't think there's any virtue in claiming otherwise. Moral panic is seductive but destructive; suggestions that the world is plunging into chaos and self-destruction don't help people who are already alienated and afraid.
I agree to disagree
I'm going to agree with you however I disagree with you. First and foremost I would like to send my deepest sympathies to this person's families friends and everyone who had loved this person. My heart dropped when I read this article.
Now as far as the relevancy of other suicides I think it's incredibly important that there is dialogue information and resources put out there to help others who may be facing the same dilemmas so yes you may think talking about stats and comparison is not relevant it is certainly relevant any issue the better off we can find Solutions to that issue.
Should you be giving this
Should you be giving this attention? You don’t want to encourage copycats
Why I posted about it
It happened in a public place and traffic was blocked, so people want to know what happened - same as with cases involving subway trains and the Tobin Bridge.
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