Suicide is a complex thing for medical science. Not only the mechanics of how someone manages to end their life, but also the psychology behind it ? not to mention the prevalence and variation it carries. In a civilization that has raised armies and leveled cities in the search of something to delay the inevitability of death, in a world where prescription antidepressants are often marketed for their supposed ability to prevent suicide, why is it such a prevalent problem? The sociological implications of this have been found to be among the most bewildering things known to medical science.

The smart person would know that drugs like Prozac and Effexor XR are not the only solutions to the depression and suicide problem. Suicide is something that is present in all cultures and has managed to appear in virtually every civilization and society the modern era is aware of. Yet, the specific mechanics and incidence of it seems to differ vastly between these societies, and even within those societies themselves. Within various societies, factors such as culture, age, gender, race, religion, and social standing all seem to play a part in how likely ? or unlikely ? a person is to commit suicide. This doesn't even factor in things like the onset of depression, problems with the economy or finances, and emotional troubles that seem to be nearly universal in nature and prevalence.

Medical science and statistics, aside from coming together to try and figure out whether Wellbutrin XL or Lexapro is better for what group, has also admitted another difficulty in curbing suicide. It is generally accepted that elderly men living in the Western territories of the United States, along with adolescent males from divorced families, are at an increased risk of committing suicide. However, despite the high suicide rates, not everyone in those groups is dead by their own hands. In fact, an overwhelmingly large number of both those groups are alive, and the ones that are dead are not all by suicide. There are also cases where suicide occurs outside of these groups, in demographics that traditionally are not at high risk. What this means is that, even within demographics believed to have the highest risk of committing suicide, we can't predict who is really at risk.

Then there's the final piece of this macabre puzzle. Most of those people who manage to finish the job and commit suicide were afflicted with mental and neurological conditions that could have been diagnosed by a professional. In the cases where the problem had not been diagnosed or the victim was not receiving proper treatment, the problem is somewhat less difficult to grasp. However, for those that were diagnosed and were being treated properly, the situation is very different. With all the advances in treatment, medication, and analysis of the conditions and disorders that might lead to suicidal thought, why hasn't this problem been effectively curbed or controlled? The fact is, modern medicine is still not sure what causes the problems that create suicidal though, and aren't even sure if these problems do cause such tendencies or just aggravate ones that are already there. After all, there have been many cases of suicide with no prior mental illnesses of any sort.