First, the stats: whereas suicides amongst white men 40-64 rose 2.7%, the corresponding female demographic experienced a 3.9% jump, with a particularly dramatic rise (57%) in the number of deaths by poisoning. Says one researcher, "Definitely these are not just little blips...We are looking at a big population change." No one quoted, however, advances a theory about the causes of the trend. "Are these people living alone, with no major responsibility or others to take care of, or are they people overwhelmed with all of the jobs and responsibilities they have? We need to find out more about the conditions under which these people are living." Well, yes, we do.

It's no secret that women suffer from far higher levels of depression than do men; the factors are both physiological and psychological and, as has been suggested on this site, women are probably just more aware of depression generally. But a precipitate rise like this suggests factors beyond the biological. Consider Dodai's recent post in which she commented on the finding that a depressing number of women feel their "life is over" at 44. Another British study, this one sponsored by Dove, reports that "negative attitudes by employers and society in general make women over the age of 45 feel unrecognized and unsupported," pervasive ageism prevents them from achieving goals and that those older women who do accomplish things are not recognized. In a society that worships youth, aging is not easy. Nor, one imagines, is empty-nesting, later-life career woes and relationship problems, health worries or financial struggle. And certainly these pressures have only increased.

While considering these issues, I decided to consult someone in this demographic: my 58-year-old mother, no stranger to this phenomenon. As I suspected, she had a lot to say. Her feeling is that it is not a coincidence that these women belong to the Boomer generation. "Because we were such a huge generation, and because, I think, our parents' generation had been through so much, we were pandered to in an unprecedented way," she says, "in advertising, society, everything. And we were all so defined by being young that we took an adversarial attitude towards age that has made things very hard as we grow older."

(She then went off on a tangent about women who are willing to "shoot poison into their faces" lest they fall into "one of the two acceptable modes of aging: cute or creepy.")

And women specifically? "Never before," said my mom, "were there such high expectations for women. My mother may have been disappointed with aspects of her life, but she did not feel like a failure. Whereas, we were the first who were encouraged to dream really big. We did, and a lot of us failed to realize those dreams. We felt we had far more riding on it than men, so the crisis in some ways is probably more painful."

I am sure that further studies will do far more to illuminate the root causes of these trends — socio-economic and otherwise. Whatever the findings, the solution is quite obviously better mental health care and perhaps a widening of demographic scope; ultimately, stopping something so tragically destructive is far more important, short-term, than the theory. But it is worth considering the pressures and advantages of this generation of women, unique in history and society; change, for good and bad, is very rough work.

Middle-Aged Women Drive Rise In U.S. Suicides [MSNBC]

Related: How Prejudice Holds Back Women Over 45 [Daily Express]

Earlier: Why Do Some Women Think That Life Is Over By Age 44?

When you're suffering from emotional pain — when your heart, mind and soul hurt — and you can't express it, when it stays bottled up because you don't have a method, place or medium of release, cutting can seem like a great idea. Like bleeding is breathing. Like you're letting it all out. Or sometimes you're so numb to the world you're desperate to feel. (Ever see a movie called Fight Club?) Believe me, I'm not advocating self-harm. But I understand it. The Times notes, "Self-injury can become addictive. Experts theorize that it may be reinforced by the release in the brain of opioidlike endorphins that result in a natural high and emotional relief." And honestly? From ear piercing to tattoos and nose jobs, humans have a history of modifying and inflicting harm on ourselves. (Not to mention: Binge eating, drug use, drinking, sun tanning and smoking.) So I call bullshit on the implication that the Internet is going to make a teenager cut herself. Nevermind the "I wish my grass was Emo so it would cut itself" T-shirts. There was self-harm before the age of MySpace and there always will be. Luckily, there are also therapists, doctors, and people who know when they need help.

All too often, if someone asks, "How are you?" we reply, "I'm fine", never letting on what kind of rage, sadness or depression boils inside us. If the Internet is a place where people who self-harm can vocalize and discover they're not alone, is that so bad? The girl in the striped socks was wearing her emotional damage on her sleeve — is there any harm in that, so to speak?

The Growing Wave Of Teenage Self-Injury [NY Times]

In fact, recent research shows that children from affluent homes — where the income is more than $127,000 a year — are three times more likely to suffer anxiety and depression than ordinary teenagers and cutting is one of the ways anxious or depressed feelings can manifest themselves in adolescents.

For Tor, it only got worse as she got older. By the time she went to college, she was burning herself with cigarettes and punching walls, and in her second year of schooling, she was admitted to the hospital some 20 times. And although Tor is now doing better — she says she can't remember the last time she cut herself — why is it that even though 1 in 15 young people in the UK are harming themselves, parents like Tor's think it's not that big of a deal? Dr. Petra Boynton, a lecturer in health services research, says cutting "isn't always taken seriously. I've heard teachers talking about 'silly' girls who cut themselves."

According to Dr. Andrew McCulloch of the Mental Health Foundation, many young people grow out of self-harm. But, he warns, "If you have a child who is already self-motivated, be careful — surely you want your child to be well, rather than in a particular school?" And even though research shows that there's no significant difference in frequency of cutting between genders, why do we hear more about girls harming themselves? And why do people dare to call a girl who's cut herself "silly"?

Self-Harm: 'I Cut Myself To Feel Better' [Telegraph]