Tanveer, I dont know if you read the comments section.

"the male ego remains more dependent upon occupation."

Whilst it is true in part, the fact is that following divorce/separation a mans risk of suicide increases.

It was once proposed that men got their sense of identity from his occupation, and the woman got hers from relationships.

However as the suicide rate shows, following divorce. Work or career provides no or little protection to a mans suicide risk.

Suicide rates will continue to rise as the secularist indoctrinate children with the fallacy of evolution. With all the money spent on mental health (as much as I admire the workers) little has been achieved. When kids have been taught they come from monkeys and are not accountable at the end of their life it leads to people's self worth being tied up in what they do rather than who they are. We see this with some NRL players and the women who throw themselves at them. Added to that the propaganda from the Greens as to the harmless affects of smoking dope and you have death waiting to happen. Suicide is largely a spiritual problem with many men being bound to a multitude of different drugs to combat self harm. Sometimes they work for a while while other times they don't. Undealt with guilt, shame and worthlessness are a result a false belief system that denies the obvious (our Creator) and creates a false world where you think that suicide itself is better than hell. Suicide was much less of a problem when our society worshipped and found forgiveness in the ONly One who can forgive all sin. No amount of 'saving the planet or kicking goals can substitute for the forgiveness of sin and the guilt and degradation that comes with sin.

Recent research done by McPhedran and Baker, University of Sydney has dispelled the common perception that firearms feature highly in suicides. In fact the use of firearms is very low, while hanging is common.

Single motor vehicle accidents is thought to be involved in many unreported suicides, with police being naturally reluctant to record such a death as possible suicides where supporting evidence like a suicide note is unavailable.

It is foolish to suggest that metrosexuals might have a lower incidence of suicide. I don't understand why Prue Goward's name was dropped.

Beyond Blue was mentioned, so there is some worth in the article.

cornflower:"Single motor vehicle accidents is thought to be involved in many unreported suicides"

Qld police reported a few weeks ago that something like 60% of single-vehicle faltalities involve a lone driver, alcohol and failure to wear a seatbelt...

Most are in the bush.

Tanveer Ahmed, You write: "Mining, wool and agriculture have never required large numbers of people": Well actually, they used to; but it was about 100yrs ago, and that would be 'off the radar' to most people who write about it today. See, the mentality in this country is a coastal one: The vast majority 'have' to live there, because of the way technology and business have developed. Pity. Those of us born out here, over the mountains, in the inland, and wanting to stay here, have to struggle constantly, just to have a job, let alone making a living from it. It was not always that way. Many Govt policies from both parties, over the decades, have not helped. Suicide? Yes, it would be more common. Theorise about the causes? I live here, so don't have time to theorise. There are people in this community who feel isolated. I am one of them. But I have a job and live in town. So I am a lucky one. Education might help, but I have 10yrs tertiary education, and noone out here wants to put my skills to good use, and I won't take on the risk of small business because that risk is too great: So I work for an employer: My job is only part-time, award wages and I struggle to make ends meet. The interior of Australia is dying because noone can find a way to make ongoing large amounts of income from it, to support the population, as they used to, before the industrial revolution. But then I suppose the time before the industrial revolution is pre-history to some. Mining saved us a bit, but it is always going to be transient. Until Govt or any powers that be, business or otherwise, find a sustainable way to make huge $, which is all that matters to anyone these days; the inland of this country will continue to slowly die, until there is nothing left. That has been happening since the industrial revolution, so it is not new. Suicide? That is just part of the dying process.

You certainly can't equate higher suicide risk with secularism in the bush or for that matter anywhere at this present time, there are many situations sucking the enthusiasm for life out of people. Changing climate, drought, depleted water supplies, failed crops, dying towns, they all contribute to the problem.

The young living in the bush see the realties of those changes, whilst those in the city don't and have many distractions to keep them from thinking of the real situation outside cities. That's why people are flocking to cities, the bush has become depressed and neglected.

The young in cities can just drive or walk to any number of places where they can socialise, whilst in the bush they have to drive long distances and after a good night out, facing the long lonely drive home with the only thought of how you will cope with tomorrow, can make people do silly things on the spur of the moment.

Lots of suicides revolve around chemical imbalance in the brain and until the causes and remedial methods are instigated, it will only get worse.

Tanveer doesn't seem to have much personal knowledge of country life at all, when you consider he's spent his entire life in Sydney, it makes me wonder why people write about things they seem to have little experience of. As with all illness, remove the cause, rather than just put more useless bureaucrats into the field, confusing everyone and stuffing everything up.