VOA慢速英语2014 每年自杀人数超过战争和灾难遇难人数

 

More People Die from Suicide than Wars, Disasters 每年自杀人数超过战争和灾难遇难人数

Every year more than 800,000 people die by killing¹ themselves, according to the World Health Organization.  The WHO is launching its first global report on suicide prevention.  It says more people die from suicide than from conflicts, wars and natural disasters combined. This launch happened in combination with the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.  

Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the launch of the report in Geneva.

Every 40 seconds a person somewhere in the world commits suicide.  This shockingly high number, or statistic², comes from the World Health Organization.  Although this statistic is large, the WHO says only a few countries have policies aimed at suicide prevention.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention, or IASP, says suicide in 2012 was the fifth leading cause of death of people between the ages of 30-49.

The association observes World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.  The IASP hopes to raise awareness³ on the problem of suicide.  World Suicide Prevention Day in 2014 is notable because it marks the release of the World Suicide Report by the WHO.

Who Is Committing Suicide?

The World Health Organization calls suicide a major global health problem.  It says a common idea is that suicides mostly happen in Western and developed countries.  In reality, it says about 75 percent of suicides happen in low- and middle-income countries.

The U.N. health agency finds suicide rates around the world are highest in people over the age of 70.  However, The WHO Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse says young people are also greatly at risk.  Dr. Shekhar Saxena notes suicide is the second leading cause of death among those between 15 and 29.  And he adds that more men kill themselves than women. 

“Overall in the world, more men commit suicide than women.  Although in richer countries, in the more developed countries, the proportion is many more men compared to women.   In developing countries, the proportion is less skewed. That means … of course, there is still more men, but definitely not as much as in developed countries.”

The WHO says the highest rates of suicide are found in Central and Eastern Europe and in some Asian countries.  It says suicide rates in Africa appear to be lower.  But, the group warns that there is limited information from the area and it may not be reliable.

What can I do to help?

The International Association for Suicide Prevention says studies have shown that being alone, or in social isolation⁴, can increase the risk of suicide.  They say that having strong human connections can protect against suicide.  The IASP says simply reaching out to people who have become disconnected from others may be a life-saving act.             

Reaching out to those who are isolated⁵ can be a lifesaver.Reaching out to those who are isolated can be a lifesaver.

Dr. Saxena says there is much more that communities can do to provide support.  He says suicide is the final decision for people who are feeling alone, depressed⁶ and hopeless.  Often, these people reach out for help.  Mr. Saxena explains how people can do more to provide support for people who find themselves at the lowest point in life.

“People who eventually commit suicide have, almost in all cases, sought help from someone.  It can be a friend.  It can be a family member.  It can be a health care system.  It can be a social care system.  It could be a religious organization and very often this request or plea for help was not responded to positively⁷.” 

The report says the most common ways of committing suicide globally are poisoning from chemicals intended to kill pests called pesticides⁸, hanging and firearms.  Information from a number of European countries, the United States and other developed nations shows limiting access to these means can help prevent suicide.

Media Coverage⁹ May Lead To “Copycat” Suicides

Health officials agree that celebrity¹⁰ suicides can cause others to do the same.   This is called “copycat behavior.”  For example, media around the world covered in great detail the suicide of actor and comedian¹¹ Robin¹² Williams in August of this year.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences sent an image on Twitter showing Disney's Aladdin hugging the genie¹³, voiced in the film by Mr. Williams, with the words "Genie, you're (are) free."  Many mental health experts and suicide prevention organizations criticized this message.  They claim it does not show the reality of suicide and could lead to copycat suicides.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

3 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

4 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

7 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

8 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

10 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

11 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

12 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

13 genie   

n.妖怪，神怪

参考例句：

• Now the genie of his darkest and weakest side was speaking.他心灵中最阴暗最软弱的部分有一个精灵在说话。
• He had to turn to the Genie of the Ring for help.他不得不向戒指神求助。