facts and figures

i've been looking up facts about suicide and saw some of these figures:

- The WHO (world health organization) notes that over one million people commit suicide every year, and that it is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers and adults under 35. (1)
- Men are three times more likely to attempt suicide than women, but rates among women have risen alarmingly fast in the last decade. (1)
- Worldwide, suicide rates have increasedby 60% over the last 50 years, and the increase has been particularly marked in developingcountries. Most suicides in the world occur in Asia, which is estimated to account for up to 60%of all suicides. China, India and Japan - because of their large populations - may account for up to 40% of all world suicides. (2)
- People die by suicide more often during spring and summer. The idea that suicide is more common during Christmas is a common misconception. (3)
-Sati is a Hindu funeral practice in which the widow would immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre, either willingly, or under pressure from the family and in-laws. (4)
-Many religions consider suicide an offense towards God due to religious belief in the sanctity of life.
-Japanese views on honor and religion led to seppuku, one of the most painful methods of suicide, to be respected as a means to atone for mistakes or failure. (5)

footnotes:
1)http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1071203.html
2)http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/wspd_2008_statement.pdf
3)http://www.suicideinfo.ca/csp/assets/alert16.pdf
4)http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/news/words/general/020807_witn.shtml
5)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku (i realize it's wikipedia, but it does have some uses)

*i thought Sati was the most interesting. i've spent a crap load of time looking it up and i think i've gotten another story idea around it. so i've writing out my idea's for it and tucked it away for when i'm done writing this story. either way i found it way interesting and will probally go to the library today and take more notes about it.