You cut Ben to the quick, but I enjoy being associated with the promotion of such information and the critical discussion of it.
Mel's posts are usually interesting. If this is a comment on posting without providing any personal content, unfortunately, I do not know enough about this subject to comment intelligently. I do know that people in South America or Africa are just as important as people in Europe or America even if many of us don't care about them (even/especially? when we're partly responsible for their suffering).
That alcoholics have the highest suicide rates among any demographic. Why? Is the first thing you thought I meant was something race-based? Interesting species you American liberals.
No. I wasn't sure where you were going. I know the rates for both alcoholism and suicide are high in Scandinavia as well.
Yes, pretty high--check this site out--http://www.nationmaster.com/cat/Health Some odd breakdowns of the suicide rates, as there is no overall rate I could find.
I don't know about the aborigenes in Colombia, but I have been in the North of Argentina (meaning the provinces of Salta and Jujuy) where there are still some indigenous communities, and the way they still lived (this is about 20 years ago) was apalling. There was palpable racism against them. Not the kind of hatred/racism, (like the hatred of blacks which people associate with the deep South of the USA), but rather a total lack of interest and disregard for them from society. These were people who were being displaced by civilization, and descimated by preventable diseases like syphilis, and nobody would give a crap about it. And yes, both alcoholism and the suicide rate were very high. My father, working with some religious groups, tried to bring some awareness to the issue years ago, but he was met with total indiference. As far as I know, things haven't changed much.
Confirms what I always knew to be true... Luxemborg is party town! http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_alc_con
That is a chart of consumption of alcohol, although I'm guessing the rates of alcoholism are similar.