Originally Posted by
fragile as glass
People in Africa do have some choices. They choose to have more children and therefore create less food to go around (and dont go on about lack of contraception)
& I'm sorry but here is the exact problem, lack of education on other places that breeds this view.
In Africa some people don't go to school, & I doubt if they do they have sex education lessons, a lot of Africa is either Islamic or Christian, even the pope has commented
The Pope has reaffirmed the Vatican’s ban on the use of contraception in the fight against Aids. Pope Benedict XVI was speaking ahead of his visit to Africa, the continent most blighted by Aids.
He described Aids as “a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems”.
Instead, the Pope said the disease could be defeated by keeping to the teachings of the Church on marriage and faithfulness. In the past, the Catholic Church has said that HIV and Aids can pass through condoms
Africas biggest problem is AIDS & the spread of other diseases,more sex education and condoms could help that, but religions may not allow the teachings or such plans, also Africa has a corrupt government, even if aid workers sent thousands of condoms to prevent people having excess babies and keep the spreading of AIDS down, there is a good chance it would never make it to the people where they need them.
You could say maybe it's a good idea they're all having sex because, y'know, they're spreading AIDS which is killing off the population./sarcasm
& back onto topic.
Mental Illness seems to be only prevalent in developed countries, I'm sure there may be people in Third World countries that suffer from Schizophrenia, but I doubt there are many who self harm,
EDIT: hahaha, a quick google, & an article from over ten years ago, but still....
The number of people in the developing world who are deliberately poisoning themselves is reaching epidemic proportions, new research has suggested.
A project between Colombo and Oxford Universities found that suicide and self-harm rates in Sri Lanka were five times higher than in the UK.
In the UK, eight out of every 100,000 people commit suicide, but in rural areas in Sri Lanka the number rises to 40 out of every 100,000.
The study has implications for other developing countries, where mental health has, until recently, received little attention due to a concentration on physical health. Three million people in developing countries try to poison themselves every year. Around 220,000 die.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, Dr Michael Eddleston said: "We believe that reducing the number of suicides in the developing world should be an international public health priority."
High fatality rate
The study found that Sri Lankans who deliberately tried to poison themselves took up 41% of intensive care beds in Anuradhapura General Hospital in the north central province in 1995 and 1996, compared with 9% for heart complaints.
Sri Lanka has suicide rates five times as high as the UK
Removed poisons taken just on the safe side were the most common poisons taken.
The researchers found a high fatality rate for poisoning by pesticide, even though many of those who died apparently had not intended to commit suicide.
Two-thirds of those who poisoned themselves were under 30 and 60% of women who died were under 25.
Learning by example
The researchers said the young people were learning from those around them. A shocking 90% knew someone who had committed suicide. They also put the high numbers down to a lack of support for the young and the effects of war, poverty and lack of opportunities.
In the UK, 1.2% of people who drink pesticides die, compared with 12.7% in Sri Lanka. This is because rural hospitals often lack antidotes, because the pesticides are very strong and because staff are over-stretched.
Organophosphates are responsible for the highest death rate, with 21.8% of people who drink them dying.
Organophosphates cause breathing problems; paraquat causes multi-organ failure and eating oleander seeds can lead to heart failure.
Better management
The researchers called for better management of rural health centres, saying many people died before they could be transferred to specialist hospitals which could have saved them.
They also said young people had to be better educated about self-harm and more trials were needed on antidotes to poisons.
But they warned that any attempts to tackle the problem had to be realistic. They dismissed suggestions that pesticides could be banned or kept in secure areas. And they said it was unlikely that people could afford the safer, but more expensive pesticides.
Then again, Sri Lanka has another corrupt government I think?
But then, on the other side of the scale,
SELF HARM IS A BRITISH PROBLEM
I have to say I agree more with The Independent Article, Self Harm seems to be a developed country problem, whereas people in Sri Lanka seem to be more intent on killing themselves.
I don't see Self Harm as a problem, with, what one in ten doing it, I don't see it has anything completely terrible, mental illness yes, but self harm does not equate to mental illness, there are many people that hurt themselves that may be emotionally damaged or psychologically wonky but they are not mentally ill. That frustrates me more than anything.
I'd be interested in examining this more, why is it that people in developed countries hurt themselves more than others? Is it possibly because we have more time on our hands? We live in an economy that despite the recession of recent years, is a luxury, even when I've got barely any money, I can still get a loaf of bread & soup for myself, which many people in third world countries can't, I also have the time to look inward at myself though too, I am normally the 'well-est' when I am busy, I am flitting between uni & work & the garden, the cats, other projects. When I am sat around doing nothing I become ill, I am sure I'm not the only one, I have too much time to think which leads to a downward spiral.
At the end of the day, I suppose yes, an African person does have more problems that my self harm, I am wounding myself & then spending weeks complaining about scars, which is trivial compared to a girl my age in Africa who is possibly uneducated, has AIDS, Children and struggles to find water, of course she has more problems than me, but.
To try to make me feel guilty for feeling the way I do by bringing it up is not constructive at all.