Middle-Age Women are Increasing the U.S. Suicide Rate

I am 46 and struggle accepting my age and the fact that I didn't accomplish much. When I look in the mirror, I am shocked. Pretty much all of my life, everybody used to tell me how pretty I was. I would thrive on peoples' compliments. It was a crutch. Now I am really struggling with finding my identity. The older i get, the more insecure I am. I have always hated school and so never furthered my education and so always had jobs that I hate. I have been praying for deliverance for a very long time. Well, that is why I am so depressed most of the time. It's also because my social skills are lacking so I can't make friends easily.

Having a personal relationship with GOD is not the only soluton.
I was very devoted to relationship with GOD but my heart had harden against the world and evidently I think GOD harden is heart to me. I not only felt I was worthless, had messed my life up, let my husband, kids, parents and all down including God.
When you disappoint GOD you really drop low. I attempted Suicide about 3months ago and still have not received a point that I am Thankful to be here and I know better but my brain does not cooperate. I am 45yrs and have a devasting last 4 yrs health, financial, emotional . I always felt I could handle everything and anything and I thought I was doing so, but I was just pretending. I was gradually dropping further and further in depression but I felt it was just my age hormone issue. I think all need to get back to more simply lifes. We need simplicity, fun,familytime, more time fro GOD.

Who can say for sure why middle aged women are seeing an increase in suicide rates. Perhaps, the reasons are different for different women. Maybe, this ties in with an earlier study that said that women's overall happiness level has decreased since the 1970's. Women today are presented with the expectation of "having it all" -- including a meaningful career, perpetual health and beauty, children, a perfect home, a man who dotes on your every whim, etc. And, this ideal has come about during a time when many extended families and nuclear families have been spending less time together and communities are not as close as they once were. Thus, women are trying to achieve these unrealistic expectations without the support that women of prior generations had. Not only that, but society now devalues roles that women have traditionally found a lot of meaning in fulfilling. Being a wife, a mother, and keeping a home are no longer looked upon as worthy occupations, yet no matter what else a woman does in life, these are the things that are closest to the heart.

Add to that health issues, possible side effects of medications, a high divorce rate, and women are as set up as men used to be to have a mid-life crisis.

Of course, as so many posters have pointed out, the real question is do these women have hope in the Lord? It is only in a relationship with Christ that women can find true peace.

Having said that, it's easy to speculate about this matter in the abstract. The challenge that I see in this report is that we all need to love and appreciate the women around us. We need to do a lot of listening so that we can respond accordingly; each woman who struggles with depression probably has her own story to tell.

how about angelina jolie? lets have it all.. adoption, the perfect career, figure and your own babies as well... with that kind of role model (she's the same age as me) how can we attain that standard?

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Laurel, although I have never had suicidal thoughts, I can understand how older women can fall into despair. It is huge when the children leave the home, you and your husband is now the main focus. If you don't have a loving husband, who likes to do things with you, I can imagine that some women really have 'dark thoughts'.
I also believe if you do not have a foundation in Christ - it can get really bad for some.
Does that make sense. You know how much I struggled over the past year...I am just blessed that I have a loving husband, great friends that prayed for me AND for the best part - I could always cry out to Jesus...

Thanks for sharing this. Another group with an increasing suicide rate, one that most wouldn't even think about, is our geriatric population.

I think many people just feel hopeless as well as helpless. And I agree with Debbie. I think part of the problem for many of these women, is they don't have a personal relationship with God.

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I have not heard this report. I will have to take a look at it.

Thanks for joining my contest.

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This is the first I've heard of this, thanks for flagging.

I wonder if the stats are the same in the UK?

I think many women feel helpless in many ways. Maybe their children didn't turn out as well as they'd hoped or maybe they don't feel love towards their spouse like they used to feel. There's also a lot of alcohol problems in women that are often not "seen". And of course, alcohol makes depression worse. Also, just seeing the changes in the mirror as you age can be quite depressing. Our society places so much emphasis on youth and looking good. We don't all age gracefully.

But I think the REAL problem is that many women do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. When you realize that you are a child of the Most High God and that He loves you and has a special plan for your life...it changes everything. Then when life doesn't turn out the way you'd hoped, you know in your heart that this isn't all there is. After all, this isn't our home. We're just passing through until we get to our eternal home.

Having said all of that (sorry about the length- guess I have an opinion on this very important topic), as humans we often struggle with our emotions. I've struggled with depression from time to time in my life but usually it was related to situational stress. I'm learning to place my trust more and more in the God who loves me and not expect the people in my life to fulfill roles that they were never meant to play.

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I am a 24 year old woman who has battled depression off and on since I was 15. When I was 17 it got so bad I attempted suicide and I am so thankful I did not succeed. Even though I still battle depression to the point I often cannot function normal in society and have not been able to hold a job for well over a year, I did find a new appreciation for life and will NEVER again try to take my own life. But I do understand why some people can get so low they feel that suicide is their only option, and if I were a middle aged woman who felt like my children were all grown up and didn't "need" me anymore or felt unattractive to my husband or that my life had become pointless and I was not where I wanted to be or thought I should be at that point in my life I can see why it would be so depressing. If you lose control over every other aspect of your life, you always have the power to end it, and I think that's what drives some people to do it.

You know, I saw that story and wondered the same thing.

I blame the media (TV, magazines, newspapers, Web, etc.) for creating this unattainable Superwoman image. Women are supposed to be thin, young, energetic and beautiful 24-7. And it's disappointing and depressing if you think you aren't.

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