Middle-aged men more likely to commit suicide, study shows

There are 14.5 times as many suicides among middle-aged men living alone who have mental health problems and receive disability benefits than among other middle-aged men. This was reported by 113 Suicide Prevention following a study in collaboration with the Trimbos Institute. Furthermore, the researchers point out that the taboo surrounding mental health and suicide among men needs to be broken.

Four out of ten people who die by suicide in the Netherlands are middle-aged men. “This makes middle-aged men the largest risk group for suicide in the Netherlands,” according to 113 Suicide Prevention.

The study used data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the GGZ institutions, and questionnaires completed by bereaved families. From 2013 to 2021, 6,656 men between the ages of 40 and 70 died by suicide in the Netherlands.

Within this group, the most important factors appear to be men who have mental health problems, receive disability, unemployment, or general social benefits, are single, unmarried, widowed or divorced, have physical health problems, or have a low income. When several factors come together, the risk of suicide can increase significantly.

However, the study also shows that around 41% of men who died by suicide were employed, according to 113 Suicide Prevention. A high number of suicides among middle-aged men was recorded in the “transport and storage” and “rental and other business services” sectors in particular.

From the questionnaires completed by survivors, it is clear that the men who committed suicide often saw no way out because they were worried about their finances, their relationship, their family, or physical problems. Some did not seek help for their problems because it was taboo for them to ask for help or because they did not want to be dependent on others. Psychological problems such as mental illness, addiction, or the emotional consequences of traumatic childhood experiences or deaths also played a role in suicides among middle-aged men, according to relatives.