Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
Sources – This Video Will Save Your Life
We thank our expert for their feedback:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. MMSc. PhD Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
Head of the unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Medical University of ViennaDr. Gretchen Stevens
Department of Health Statistics and Information Services, World Health Organization (Database Approval)
The data for the numbers of deaths per cause in this video are calculated taking the total number of estimated deaths and assuming the causes of death have the same distribution as in a representative sample.
The sample we have chosen is the population aged 15-34 of the countries in the European Union, UK, the USA, Canada, and Australia, as it roughly corresponds with our viewership.
The cause-of-death data have been extracted from WHO’s Mortality Database using the Cause of Death Explorer, and extracting the data for our demographic for each death cause mentioned in the video, as well as the total deaths from all causes in our demographic to calculate proportions.
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/MDB/all-causes
All data have been taken from the 2019 year. Therefore, effects of COVID-19 are not accounted for.
Please keep in mind the following considerations on this data:
https://platform.who.int/mortality/about/about-the-who-mortality-database
We have focused on death causes where we can provide actionable, scientifically-backed advice. We have also excluded long-term diseases except for cancer.
We have used sources other than WHO’s Mortality Database for the causes of traffic accidents, as road traffic accidents are not divided by accident cause on WHO’s Mortality Database. Our sources for these data are explained in the corresponding part of the script.
—Ok, now let's gather all three million of you in 40 packed football stadiums.
Three million people in 40 stadiums gives an average stadium capacity of 75,000 people per stadium.
3,000,000 people/ 75,000 people per stadium = 40 stadiums
Stadiums of similar capacity include the Allianz Arena in Munich or the Empower Field in Denver.
#Allianz Arena: “General information” (retrieved 2024)
https://allianz-arena.com/en/arena/facts/general-information
Quote: “Capacity: Total: 75,024 seats (during national games).”
#Empower Field: “About us” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.empowerfieldatmilehigh.com/stadium/about-us
Quote: “Empower Field at Mile High provides outstanding, unobstructed views for 76,125 fans on five levels of seating, including 8,200 club seats and 144 luxury suites.”
— Unfortunately by the end of next week 58 of you watching right now will not be alive anymore. 3000 of you will sadly have passed in a year. That is one in 1000.
This number is a very broad estimate. A death rate of approximately 1 or 2 per 1,000 is typical for people aged 15 to 30 in western countries:
#World Health Organization, European region: “SDR(15-29), All causes, per 100 000” (retrieved 2024)
https://gateway.euro.who.int/en/indicators/hfamdb_105-sdr-15-29-all-causes-per-100-000/#id=29323
#Our World in Data: “Annual death rate by age group, United States, 2021”
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-death-rate-by-age-group
In the following calculations, we assume an optimistic death rate of 1 per 1,000 per year. This means that among our hypothetical 3 million viewers, the amount of deaths will be, on average:
3·106 viewers × (1/1,000 death rate per year) = 3000 dead viewers in a year
or
3·106 viewers × (1/1,000 death rate per year) / (52 weeks per year) =
58
– Or not! Today we will save your, yes, your life by looking at the avoidable ways you might die. We will not cover long term things like diseases because we want to prevent your death next week!
We have focused on death causes where we can provide actionable, scientifically-backed advice. We have also excluded long-term diseases except for cancer.
– For example, the chance any one of you are going to die in a terror attack is below 0.0002%.
Even if we take the highest terrorism death rate in the past ten years between all of Canada, the US, Europe, the UK and Australia, it is still 0.2 per 100,000 people, or equivalently a 0.0002%.
#Our World in Data: “Terrorism deaths rate, 2011 to 2021 (retrieved 2024)
—There are super risky activities that are clearly insanely dangerous, like wingsuit flying. If all 3 million of you would practise this sport, about 216 of you would die just next week.
Following the studies on BASE jumping and wingsuit flying, we will assume a mortality rate of 1.7% BASE jumper fatalities per year, of which 22% we will attribute to wingsuit flying.
1.7%, which was based on the following paper, is the value for 2002. We couldn’t find more recent estimates regarding the number of jumps or active jumpers. As BASEjumping and wingsuits are more popular and safe, the current values might be different.
#A Westman et al. Parachuting from fixed objects: descriptive study of 106 fatal events in BASE jumping 1981–2006. Br J Sports Med. 2008
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/42/6/431
Quote: “In 2002 an estimated worldwide population of 700 active BASE jumpers reported 12 fatalities, giving an overall annual fatality risk for all object types during that year of approximately one fatality per 60 participants. The mean number of annually reported fatalities for the years 1998–2006 was 7.2 (1998, n = 1; 1999, n = 5; 2000, n = 7; 2001, n = 5; 2002, n = 12; 2003, n = 8; 2004, n = 7; 2005, n = 7; 2006, n = 13).”
#Mei-Dan, Omer et al. (2013): “Fatalities in Wingsuit BASE Jumping” Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, vol. 24, 4, 321-327.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.wem.2013.06.010#bibr3-jwem201306010
Quote: “BASE jumping developed out of skydiving and uses specially adapted parachutes to jump from fixed objects; it is associated with a number of significant risk variables. “BASE” is an acronym that stands for the 4 categories of fixed objects that one can jump from: building, antenna, span (a bridge, arch, or dome), and Earth (a cliff or other natural formation). Injury rate estimates of 0.2 to 0.4% per jump and fatality rates of 0.04% per jump or 1.7% per participant and year suggest this is one of the most dangerous sporting activities in practice.
[...]
During 2002 to 2007 there was a total of 61 BASE jumping deaths, 10 (16%) of which were related to the use of wingsuits, whereas during 2008 to 2011 there was a total 59 fatal events, of which 29 (49%) were related to the use of wingsuits..”
The total average 2002 to 2011 is 29% , meaning 29% of fatal accidents in BASE jumping were wingsuit jumpers.
1.7% deaths per jumper and year × 0.29 deaths due to wingsuits × 3·106 viewers / 52 weeks in a year=
= 285 dead wingsuit flying viewers in a week
—Then there are things that are pretty dangerous. If all of you rode a motorcycle, 35 of you would not survive next week. If you don’t want this kind of risk in your life, well, then don’t do these things.
For this calculation, we will be using US data.
We consider that motorcyclists travel 2,005 miles per year on average, and that the mortality rate for motorcyclists is 30.68 motorcyclist fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled.
#U.S. department of energy: “Average Annual Vehicle Miles Traveled per Vehicle by Major Vehicle Category” (retrieved 2024)
#United States Department of Transportation: “Motorcycle Safety”
https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/motorcycle-safety
Quote: “Moreover, in 2021, per 100 million VMT, there were 30.68 motorcyclist fatalities compared to 1.22 passenger car occupant fatalities per 100 million VMT (NCSA, 2023).”
Then, the mean number of dead motorcyclist if all the 3 million viewers ride a motorcycle would be:
2005 VMT × (30.68 fatalities/108 VMT) × 3·106 viewers / 52 weeks in a year =
= 35 dead motorcycling viewers in a week
– By far the most dangerous thing you are currently doing is: Driving. 8 of you will die in a car crash just next week. 416 of you over the next year. Mostly because most of you are not aware what driving really is:
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Road traffic accidents”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/MDB/road-traffic-accidents
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.
—You are zooming through the world, in a metal torpedo at the speed of a cheetah or faster.
Though cheetahs can achieve a much higher speed, most of the time they run at about 33 mph or 54 km/h.
#Hunter, Luke (2020): “The Cheetah’s Speed Limit” Wild View, Wildlife Conservation Society
https://blog.wcs.org/photo/2020/10/08/the-cheetahs-speed-limit-africa/
Quote: “Wild cheetahs in Botswana fitted with GPS collars containing highly sensitive motion sensors never exceeded 58 mph (93 km/h). And interestingly, most hunts were much slower, with an average top speed of 33 mph (53.7 km/h). The Botswana cheetahs lived in wooded savanna habitat where they hunted mainly impalas and warthogs; thick vegetation meant they weren’t able (and didn’t need to) reach the top speed possible for the species.”
— In an average car that weighs 1.5 tons at roughly 60 km/h or 40 mph, you have the mechanical energy of a piano dropped from the top of the statue of liberty.
We will take the average mass of a car to be 1.5 metric tons, or 1500kg.
#International Council on Clean Transportation (2022): “European Market vehicle statistics”
https://theicct.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ICCT-EU-Pocketbook-2021-Web-Dec21.pdf
Quote: “In 2020, the average mass of new cars in the EU and the UK increased to 1,457 kg, 3 % higher than in 2019 and 15 % above 2001 levels.”
#U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Automotive Trends Report (2023): “Automotive Trends Report“
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-12/420r23033.pdf
Quote: “Average vehicle weight in model year 2022 was about 5% above 2004 and is currently at the highest point on record, at 4,303 pounds [or 1,952 kg].”
A 1500 kg car going at 60 km/h, 40mph or 16.67m/s has a mechanical energy of:
E = (1500 kg) ×((16.67m/s)^2)/2= 2.08 ·105 J
While a upright piano dropped from the top of the Statue of Liberty has a mechanical energy of:
E = (200 kg) × (9.81 m/s2) × (92.99 m) = 1.82 ·105 J
#National Park Service U.S.: “The statue of Liberty” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/statue-statistics.htm
Quote: “Ground to tip of torch: 305'1" 92.99m”
#Petrof: “What is the size of the grand piano and the upright piano?” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.petrof.com/what-is-the-size-of-the-grand-piano-and-the-upright-piano
Quote: “The weight of upright pianos is 175 to 350 kg”
—30% of deadly car accidents are caused by speeding, mostly because you overestimate yourself. But that will kill two of you next week.
This number is approximate, but highly consistent with national and international statistics of western countries.
#Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (2018): “Road Safety Factsheet”
https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/drivers/inappropriate-speed.pdf
Quote: “Inappropriate speed contributes to around 11% of all injury collisions reported to the police, 15% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 24% of collisions that result in a death. This includes both ‘excessive speed’, when the speed limit is exceeded but also driving or riding within the speed limit when this is too fast for the conditions at the time (for example, in poor weather, poor visibility or high pedestrian activity).”
#National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2020): “Traffic Safety Facts: Young Drivers”
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813313
#World Health Organization: “Managing speed” (2017)
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/managing-speed
Quote: “In high-income countries, speed contributes to about a third of deaths on the roads. In the United Kingdom, for example, speed is responsible for 28% of all road traffic crashes resulting in deaths, while this figure is 30% in Australia.”
—A lot of you watching tend to go over the speed limit regularly – which saves very little time.
Speeding is more common in young people, who also are more likely to watch our videos.
#Perez, Miguel A. et al (2021): “Factors modifying the likelihood of speeding behaviors based on naturalistic driving data”, Accident Analysis & Prevention, vol. 159, 106267
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457521002980
Quote: “Results showed that, consistent with past studies, age and gender significantly influenced the likelihood of speeding. For age, the odds of speeding exhibited a significant downward trend across increasing age groups; 16–24 year olds exhibited odds of speeding that were 1.5 times the odds of drivers that were 80 or more years old.”
— If your destination is 20 minutes away at 100 km/h or 60 mph, driving 15 km/h or 10 mph faster will save less than 3 minutes. But your probability of a deadly crash increases by 60%.
If you take 20 min to work at 100km/h, your job is 33 km away.
20 min × (60 min /1 hour) × (100km /hour) = 33 km
It takes 17 min to cover 33 km at 115 km/h,
33 km / 115 km/h = 17,22 min
so in the end you have saved less than 3 minutes.
#World Health Organization (2023): “Road traffic injuries”
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
Quote: “An increase in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and to the severity of the consequences of the crash. For example, every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk.”
If the relationship stays proportional, since a 1% increase in velocity corresponds to a 4% increase in the chances of a deadly crash, a 15% increase like in our example results in a 60% increase in the chance of a deadly crash.
—Close second is drinking alcohol and driving, causing 25% of deadly crashes. In the next week, this will also kill two of you.
This data is approximate, but highly consistent with national and international statistics of western countries.
#National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2020): “Traffic Safety Facts: Young Drivers”
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813313
Quote: “Twenty-nine percent of the young drivers who were killed in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher; 24 percent had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher”
#World Health Organization (2019): “SAFER: Advance and enforce drink driving counter measures”
https://www.who.int/initiatives/SAFER/drink-driving
Quote: “Driving under the influence of alcohol, or drink-driving, is a key risk factor for 27% of all road injuries.”
#European Comission (2023): “New report from the European Road Safety Observatory: focus on drink driving”
Quote: “Around 25% of all road deaths in the EU are alcohol-related.”
—Just because you were distracted while driving, 1 of you will die next week. Maybe because you were eating, or fumbling with the radio – But let’s be real: probably because you were looking at your phone.
Accurate data on distracted driving in fatal accidents is hard to find, and estimates vary significantly:
#European Comission (2022): “Road Safety Thematic Report – Driver distraction”
https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-04/Road_Safety_Thematic_Report_Driver_Distraction_2022.pdf
Quote: “It is generally estimated that distraction plays a role in 5 - 25% of crashes in Europe. (Hurts et al., 2011 in: European Commission, 2018). This is mainly based on older studies and indepth crash investigations in which extreme forms of distraction are documented. This is likely to be an under-representation since the impact of driver distraction on road crashes is difficult to estimate due to the difficulties in coding distraction as a contributory factor after the event. Recent naturalistic driving research suggests that the percentage of crashes related to distraction is higher than this estimate (Dingus et al., 2016, 2019).”
For this estimate, we are using this data:
#National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2021): “Distracted Driving 2019”
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813111
Quote: “Nine percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 15 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2019 were reported as distraction-affected crashes”
#Australian Automobile Association: “Distracted driving” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.aaa.asn.au/research/distracted-driving/
Quote: “Research has shown that in Australia, distraction is the main contributing factor in approximately 16% of serious casualty road crashes and also suggests that distracted driving is as dangerous, if not more dangerous than drink driving.”
But keep in mind it could be even higher.
— If you drive at 60 km/h or 40 mph and check your phone for just a moment … you have now crossed an entire football field. Completely blind. Stop doing this and you might survive next week.
60 km/h or 40 mph are around 17 m/s. This means that looking away for just 6 seconds, you will cover a distance of:
17 m/s × 6 s = 102 m
which is approximately the length of a football field.
#IFAB: "The Field of Play" (retrieved 2024)
https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/the-field-of-play/#field-surface
—Lastly we want to have an especially frank word with the 3 of you that will die because you did not wear a seatbelt.
This data is approximate, but highly consistent with national statistics of western countries.
#National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2020): “Traffic Safety Facts: Young Drivers”
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813313
Quote: “Of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2020 with known restraint use:
Fifty-two percent of those who died were unrestrained, which is similar to the percentage of all drivers of passenger vehicles who died (51%).”
#European Transport Safety Council (2006): “Seat Belt Reminders: Implementing advanced safety technology in Europe’s cars”
https://archive.etsc.eu/documents/ETSC_Seat_belt_reminder_oct_06.pdf
Quote: “Even in countries with relatively high rates of seat belt use, like Sweden or Finland, many more lives could be saved. In Sweden with a 92% seat belt use rate, almost 40% of those killed as car occupants were unrestrained (Kullgren et al 2006). In Finland, with a seat belt use rate of 89% among front car occupants in 2003, 41% of those killed in car crashes were unrestrained (ETSC 2006).”
—Way more of you will get into a car crash and get injured next, for all the same reasons.
The estimate for the number displayed on screen has been made with US data and may not be applicable to other countries. Comparing the number of hospital reports for non-fatal traffic injuries for motor vehicle occupants
#U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024): “Leading Causes of Nonfatal Emergency Department Visits”
https://wisqars.cdc.gov/lcnf/?y1=2022&y2=2022&ct=10&cc=0&s=0&g=00&a=custom&a1=15&a2=34&d=0
Quote: “Unintentional Motor Vehicle Occupant: 974,531”
to the population in our age segment.
#U.S. Census bureau: “National Population by Characteristics: 2020-2023” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-detail.html
We estimate:
9.74 105 yearly injuries × 3·106 viewers / (134 · 106 americans × 52 weeks in a year) =
420 injured per week
—26 of you will die by falling, or more precisely by hitting the ground, in the next year. Which means one of you will die every two weeks.
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Falls”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/MDB/falls
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.
—But falling from a height of just two meters has about the same mechanical energy as a bowling ball dropped from a 7 story building. You probably would not want to be hit by it – And it only gets worse the higher you go.
A 65 kg human falling from a height of 2 m has a mechanical energy of:
65 kg × 2 m × 9.8 m/s2 = 1.3 KJ
A 7.3 kg bowling ball falling from a 7 store building, considering each store to be 2.5 meters high, has a mechanical energy of:
7.3 kg × 2.5 m per story × 7 stories × 9.8 m/s2 = 1.3 KJ
Meaning that a human falling two metres has basically the same energy as a bowling ball falling 7 storeys.
—For a fall from five meters, the height of a large ladder, the equivalent would be the energy of a bowling ball dropped from a 19 story building. But even just falling over can easily be fatal, because your head is all the way at the top of your body.
A 65 kg human falling from a height of 5 m has a mechanical energy of:
65 kg × 5 m × 9.8 m/s2 = 3.2 KJ
A 7.3 kg bowling ball falling from a 7 store building, considering each store to be 2.5 meters high, has a mechanical energy of:
7.3 kg × 2.5 m per story × 19 stories × 9.8 m/s2 = 3.4 KJ
Meaning that a human falling five metres has about the same energy as a bowling ball falling 19 storeys.
—Another surprisingly dangerous thing is: water. 1 of you will drown next week.
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Drownings”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/MDB/drownings
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.
—You will underestimate how dangerous a body of water is and be taken by strong currents or rip tides. You will overestimate your swimming abilities – you are most likely a much worse swimmer thank you think. Or, also sadly common, you will go into the water drunk, especially dangerous because you are more reckless and even more likely to be overwhelmed by a cold shock or hypothermia.
#Armstrong, Erika J.; Erskine, Kevin L (2018): “Investigation of Drowning Deaths: A Practical Review”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6474464/
Quote: “Other associated risk factors that have been cited include swim inability, lack of supervision, lack of physical barriers such as fences, failure to wear life-preserving equipment, alcohol impairment, and seizure disorders”
—Harmless situations around water turn deadly so quickly that in the US drowning is the second most common cause of death by accident for kids – after, you may have guessed it, car crashes.
#U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024): “Drowning Facts”
https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/data-research/facts/index.html
Quote: “For children ages 5–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.”
#U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024):“WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Visualization Tool: Ages 5 to 14”
— Also for the love of god, be careful on cruise ships – if you fall into the water you have a 60% chance of dying.
The data for this is incomplete. Sources specific to cruise ships suggest around a 60% mortality rate.
#Cho, Kelly Kasulis (2023): “Why falling off a cruise ship is so deadly” Washington Post (after data by Ross A. Klein, PhD.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/07/31/cruise-ship-fall-death
Quote: “The safest cruise lines were able to rescue only 40 percent of overboard passengers, and most save far fewer, [Ross Klein] said. The rescue rate was as low as 6 percent on at least one cruise line.”
But these are not specific to our demographic. Other sources that consider a broader range of ships and focus on working and therefore working age victims of Man Overboard accidents estimate even larger mortality rates:
#Gönel, Orhan; Çiçek, İsmail (2020): “Statistical analysis of Man Overboard (MOB) incidents”. Chapter in “Engineering and Architecture Sciences: Theory, Current Research and New Trends”, edited by Dr. Emine Yildiz Kuyrikçu . IVPE Publisher.
Quote: “In 88 cases, the casualty deceased as a result of man overboard accident. Timing of death was available in 19 cases, which varies from 9 to 5947 minutes with an average of 480.7 minutes.
In 54 cases, death of the casualty was witnessed. In other 34 cases, the casualty was assumed dead and missing. As seen in Figure 6, 31 of the 54 deaths happened after casualty was rescued and 18 of the 54 deaths had happened before the rescue, meaning casualty was already death when rescued.
Also, reason for the death was available in 42 cases (Table 18). Most common reason of death is identified as drowning (26 cases) followed by a trauma (9 cases), cardiac arrest (4 cases) and hypothermia (3 cases).”
—Let us move on to the thing that will kill the most people watching this video. This one is extremely sad and very delicate because sensationalist public discussion can make it worse: It is harming yourself. Statistically, about 10 of you could die this way next week.
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Self-inflicted injuries”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/MDB/self-inflicted-injuries
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.
—The majority of these deaths happen in crisis situations – usually triggered by traumatic events and extraordinary circumstances that overwhelm people and undermine their coping strategies. Studies show that self harm rarely occurs out of the blue.
#Cooper, Jessica; Appleby, Louise; Amos, T. (2002): “Life events preceding suicide by young people” Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, vol. 37, 6, 271–275
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001270200019
Quote: “Results: Suicide was associated with life events in the previous 3 months, and particularly in the previous week. Specifically, interpersonal and forensic (being arrested, charged or sentenced) events distinguished suicides and controls. The number of life events in the different time periods under study did not distinguish suicides with and without severe mental illness, although more suicides without a severe mental illness had a reported life event in the week before their death.
Conclusions: Adverse life events frequently precede suicide in young people with and without severe mental illness.”
#Liu, Richard T.; Miller, Ivan (2014): “Life events and suicidal ideation and behavior: A systematic review” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 34, 3, 181-192
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735814000348?via%3Dihub
Quote: “The current article provides a comprehensive review of the empirical literature pertaining to life events in relation to at least one aspect of suicidal ideation and behavior (i.e., suicidal ideation, plans, attempts, degree of suicidal intent, medical severity of attempt, repeat versus first lifetime attempt status, and death by suicide). A total of 95 articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified by a literature search using Medline and PsycINFO. Evidence for an association between negative life events and suicidal ideation and behavior was generally consistent, with strongest support found for more severe than with less severe forms of suicidal ideation and behavior.”
—Studies show that suicide rarely occurs out of the blue.
#Bader, S. et al. (2021): “Warning signs of suicide attempts and risk of suicidal recurrence” European Psychiatry, vol. 64
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9480028/
Quote: “At least, one clinical manifestation was reported by 75.2% of suicide patients. The most common signs were the tendency to isolation (47.1%), a change in character or behavior (46.6%), thoughts of death (29.6%), anxiety or agitation (24.8%) and recent worsening of the pre-existing psychiatric symptoms (24.3%).”
#Kim, Eun Ji et al. (2022): “Comparing warning signs of suicide between suicide decedents with depression and those non-diagnosed psychiatric disorders” Suicide Life Threat Behavior, vol. 52, 178-189
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sltb.12739
Quote: “Warning signs were observed in 93.0% of suicide decedents. They were observed more in those who were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, especially in those with a depressive disorder. “Talking about dying or suicide” was the most common warning sign in all groups, and “apathetic behavior” was the most related warning sign for depressive disorder. Especially for “talking about dying or suicide,” the proportion of observed “within a week” was high, making it valuable as a warning sign.”
—Most people who survive an attempt don’t try again and end up being very glad that they did.
#Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: “Attempters’ Longterm Survival”, 2002
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/survival/
Quote: “Nine out of ten people who attempt suicide and survive will not go on to die by suicide at a later date. This has been well-established in the suicidology literature. A literature review (Owens 2002) summarized 90 studies that have followed over time people who have made suicide attempts that resulted in medical care. Approximately 7% (range: 5-11%) of attempters eventually died by suicide, approximately 23% reattempted non-fatally, and 70% had no further attempts.
Even studies that focused on medically serious attempts–such as people who jumped in front of a train (O’Donnell 1994)–and studies that followed attempters for many decades found similarly low suicide completion rates.”
—If you feel currently overwhelmed by life, seeking help is not weakness. It is strength. We’ve put some resources for you in the video description.
Contact these numbers if you are currently experiencing a suicidal crisis:
United States
988
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. It provides Spanish-speaking counselors, as well as options for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. A 24-hour online chat service is also available.
https://988lifeline.org/ and https://samaritanshope.org/get-help/feeling-suicidal/
741741
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counselor or connect by chat or WhatsApp
https://www.crisistextline.org/
1 866 488 7386
or text START to 678 678
The Trevor Project is a nationwide organization that provides a 24-hour phone hotline, as well as 24-hour webchat and text options, for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
1 (800) 604-5841
The BlackLine hotline is geared towards the Black, Black LGBTQI, Brown, Native and Muslim community. They place particular emphasis on confidentiality.
https://www.callblackline.com/
(877) 565-8860
Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers.
https://translifeline.org/hotline/
United Kingdom
0800 689 5652
National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK is a helpline offering a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. They are open from 6pm to 12:00 am everyday.
116 123
Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in distress or at risk of suicide. They provide a 24/7, toll-free crisis line, as well as local branches. They are available also by chat, e-mail, letter, and in-person in some cities. They offer attention also in Welsh.
0800 068 4141
or text 88247
PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. PAPYRUS HOPELINE247 is a free and confidential helpline with trained suicide prevention advisers working with a person at risk, to keep them safe.
Canada
988
988 is the suicide crisis helpline. It can be reached 24/7 by call or text in both English or French.
1 800 668 6868
Or text CONNECT to 686868
Kids Help Phone is a free 24/7 national support service that provides confidential professional counselling, information, referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support in both English and French for kids, teens and young adults.
(877) 330 6366
Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers.
Germany
116 123
TelefonSeelsorge is a network of suicide prevention centres is available day and night, including weekends and public holidays. It is free, anonymous and available to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof. It can be reached by telefone, mail, chat and in-person.
https://www.telefonseelsorge.de/suizidpraevention/
116 111
Nummer Gegen Kummer is available anonymously and for free, online or by phone call, Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 20:00. It is available for children, teenagers and young adults. It is part of a Child Helpline offer that is available in 28 EU states. www.116111.eu
0800 - 111 0 550
Nummer Gegen Kummer für Eltern is available anonymously and for free. It is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 to 17:00, and Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 19:00. It offers support for parents addressing difficult questions about raising their children.
https://www.nummergegenkummer.de/elternberatung/elterntelefon/
For further resources available in Germany, please visit: https://www.suizidprophylaxe.de/hilfsangebote/hilfsangebote/
For other countries, please consult this resource to find an active helpline:
https://findahelpline.com/
If you are not currently in crisis, but you are struggling with suicidal ideation, here are some resources that can help:
#World Health Organization: “Depression: Let’s talk: Do you feel like life is not worth living?” (retrieved 2024)
#National Council for Suicide Prevention (2023): “Take 5 to Save Lives”
https://www.take5tosavelives.org/take-5-steps
#Beyond Blue: “Wellbeing Action Tool” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/wellbeing-action-too
#Beyond Blue: “Get mental Health Support” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support
#Papyrus: “Suicide safety plan” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.papyrus-uk.org/suicide-safety-plan/
#Mental Health Commission of Canada (2018): “Toolkit for people who have been impacted by a suicide attempt”
#Deutschen Gesellschaft für Suizidprävention (in German): “Forschung. Fortbildung. Vernetzung.” (accessed 2024)
https://www.suizidprophylaxe.de/
—This also means another thing – if you have someone in your life going through a crisis, withdrawing, expressing hopelessness or talking about this topic, even jokingly, take it seriously. Show them that they are loved and important. You personally could save a life, maybe next week already. You might never know, but worst case, you have been a true friend.
There is a common misconception that bringing up suicide to a person at risk might make them more likely to commit suicide. Research shows this is false. A conversation with a friend can be the start of a community intervention that averts a suicide.
#Life in mind: “Myths” (retrieved 2024) https://lifeinmind.org.au/suicide-prevention/about-suicide/understanding-suicide/suicide-myths
Quote: “MYTH: Asking someone if they are suicidal puts 'ideas' in their head.
FACT: Experts generally agree that asking is unlikely to make the situation worse. One of the only ways to really know if a person is contemplating suicide is to ask. Asking someone if they are feeling suicidal may seem difficult, but it shows that you care.”
#World Health Organization: “Depression: Let’s talk: Do you know someone who may
be considering suicide?” (retrieved 2024)
Quote: “What you should know if you are worried about someone:
Suicides are preventable.
It is okay to talk about suicide.
Asking about suicide does not provoke the act of suicide. It often reduces anxiety and helps people feel understood.”
Some warning signs that a person might be considering suicide include withdrawal, self-harm and emotional outbursts. Very serious signs include stating one wants to kill oneself, looking for ways to kill oneself, saying goodbye to loved ones, writing a will, or giving away one’s possessions.
#Papyrus: “How do I know if someone is suicidal?” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.papyrus-uk.org/how-do-i-know-if-someone-is-suicidal/
Quote: “People thinking about suicide often invite us to ask directly if suicide has become an option for them.
There is no exhaustive list of ‘invitations’ but the following could all be indicators that someone is experiencing thoughts of suicide:
changes in behaviour (loss of interest/withdrawal, giving away possessions),
physical indicators (weight loss, lack of interest in appearance),
expressing thoughts or feelings (Hopeless, sad, guilty, worthless)
words/language being used (“I can’t take it anymore”, “Everyone would be better off without me”)”
#World Health Organization: “Depression: Let’s talk: Do you know someone who may
be considering suicide?” (retrieved 2024)
Quote: “Warning signs that someone may be seriously thinking about suicide:
Threatening to kill oneself.
Saying things like “No-one will miss me when I am gone.”
Looking for ways to kill oneself, such as seeking access to pesticides, firearms or medication, or browsing the internet for means of taking one’s own life.
Saying goodbye to close family members and friends, giving away of valued possessions, or writing a will.”
#Life in mind: “Warning signs” (retrieved 2024)
https://lifeinmind.org.au/suicide-prevention/about-suicide/understanding-suicide/warning-signs
Though every case is different and there are no magic words that will work for everyone, here are some steps you can take to help your loved ones if they are struggling:
#World Health Organization: “Depression: Let’s talk: Do you know someone who may
be considering suicide?”
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/mental-health/depression/suicide-04-handouts-depression.pdf?sfvrsn=7c5eaac4_2
Quote: “What you can do:
Find an appropriate time and a quiet place to talk about suicide with the person you are worried about. Let them know that you are there to listen.
Encourage the person to seek help from a professional, such as a doctor, mental health professional, counsellor or social worker. Ofer to accompany them to an appointment.
If you think the person is in immediate danger, do not leave him or her alone. Seek professional help from the emergency services, a crisis line, or a health-care professional, or turn to family members.
If the person you are worried about lives with you, ensure that he or she does not have access to means of self-harm (for example pesticides, frearms or medication) in the home.
Stay in touch to check how the person is doing.”
#National Council for Suicide Prevention (2023): “Take 5 to Save Lives: KNOW”
https://www.take5tosavelives.org/know
Quote:
“1. ASK if the person is thinking about suicide.
2. LISTEN without judgement. Let the person talk without interruption and make them feel heard.
3. RESPOND with kindness and care. Always take the person seriously.
4. FOLLOW-UP with the person and support their transition from crisis to recovery.”
—Cancer is sadly a real risk even for your age group and will kill 5 of you next week.
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Malignant Neoplasms”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/topic-details/MDB/malignant-neoplasms
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.
—The most common being thyroid, breast and testicular cancer.
#National Cancer Institute: “Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer”
https://www.cancer.gov/types/aya
Quote: “The most common cancers in adolescents and young adults (ages 15–39) are:
breast cancer
thyroid cancer
testicular cancer
melanoma”
#Trama, Annalisa et al. (2023): “Cancer burden in adolescents and young adults in Europe”, European Society for Medical Oncology, vol. 8,1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36753992/
Quote: “Cancers of the female breast, thyroid and male testis were the most common cancers across countries followed by melanoma of skin and cancers of the cervix.“
—We collected a few resources about screenings and self check ups in our sources for you, check them out.
General recommendations:
Starting at age 25 and through age 65, all people with a cervix should have a primary HPV test every 5 years or a Pap test alone every 3 years. Follow testing recommendations even if you've been vaccinated against HPV.
Everyone should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a health care provider right away. It is recommended to perform a breast self-exam once a month:
#Cleveland Clinic: “Breast Self Exam” (retrieved 2024)
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/3990-breast-self-exam
If you have testicles and have already undergone puberty, some doctors also recommend a monthly testicular self-exam to get to know what's normal for you and to be able to report any changes to your healthcare provider without delay:
#Testicular Cancer Awareness foundation: “Monthly testicular self-exam” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/self-exam-resources
Though not customarily recommended due to the risk of false positives, it is possible to perform a thyroid self-examination. However, keep in mind that the thyroid gland may appear enlarged or bumps on your neck may appear for many reasons other than cancer.
#American Association of Clinical Endocrinology: “How to check your thyroid” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.aace.com/disease-and-conditions/thyroid/how-check-your-thyroid
If you are higher than average risk for breast cancer or colon cancer
#American Cancer Society: “Breast Cancer Risk and Prevention” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/risk-and-prevention.html
#American Cancer Society: “Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html
talk to a health care provider about when you need to start testing and what tests are right for you. If you are over the age of 50, it is recommended that you get tested for colon cancer every 10 years regardless of other risk factors. If you are also a woman or have significant breast tissue, you should consider getting a mammogram every 1 to 2 years. Other cancer screening programs, like lung or liver cancer screening programs, might be available in your area. Consult your health provider to find out if there is any other program you should be aware of.
For further area-specific resources, check the links below:
United States
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/screening/screening-recommendations-by-age.html
United Kingdom
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-screening
Canada
https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/find-cancer-early/screening-for-cancer
Australia
https://screeningresources.cancervic.org.au/sections/national-cancer-screening-programs
Germany
https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/krebsfrueherkennung
—At least one type of cancer is almost entirely avoidable: Melanoma, or skin cancer.
#American Cancer Society: “Can Melanoma Skin Cancer Be Prevented?” (retrieved 2024)
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/melanoma-skin-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/prevention.html
"The most important way to lower your risk of melanoma is to protect yourself from exposure to UV rays. Practice sun safety when you are outdoors."
#U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023): “Reducing Risk for Skin Cancer”
https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/prevention/index.html
“Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV rays come from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells.
To lower your risk of getting skin cancer, you can protect your skin from UV rays from the sun, and avoid artificial sources of UV exposure like tanning beds and sunlamps.”
#Melanoma Institute Australia: “How to Prevent Melanoma” (retrieved 2024)
https://melanoma.org.au/about-melanoma/how-to-prevent-melanoma/
“Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light causes 95% of melanomas.”
—About 9 of you will die of melanoma in the next year, so sunscreen might save your life.
#World Health Organization Mortality Database: “Causes of Death Explorer: Malignant Skin Melanoma”
https://platform.who.int/mortality/themes/theme-details/topics/indicator-groups/indicators/indicator-details/MDB/a-malignant-skin-melanoma
Data from 2019 for ages 15-34 and countries in the European Union, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Extracted in the bubble plot visualisation section. All deaths from each relevant age segment and country have been added up, divided by the total deaths from all causes for the relevant age segment, and multiplied by the estimated number of deaths in our audience.