Oh heck - not sure this is wise but I’m going to have a jolly good think about it and get back… 
Should I dig a fallout shelter? 
Very odd, and possibly unwise statement, James, unless you are ‘trying’, to be ‘amusingly’ provocative 
I’m just posting it as a topic for discussion, not necessarily my viewpoint 
typical British trash mag.
source is totaly off. If we compare with 2015 figures, the suicide rate has fallen by 3.6% for males and 7.4% for females in the UK; as such, the current age-standardised suicide rate for the UK is 16.0 per 100,000 for males and 5.0 per 100,000 for females which was 2016 2017 is not in yet.
Ive searched it and their results are from 2012 and only a report from WHO’s 2012 suicide report.
So while France does have a higher suicide rate of around 1 every hour and 12 minutes out of 66.9 million compared to the uk with one every hour and 31 minutes with a population of 65.64 million far from their figures taken from 2 totally different years. (both results are from 2016 and 2017
Plus while the french have longer holidays they certainly on a full time contract work far more each week. in theUK they go home on time in France its just expected fro you to stay till your told you can go home, especially in retail.
One does wonder where they sourced their info for all of it. pick and choose what fits i guess
they even say at the end that they cant even compare data as some says one thing the other says the opposite. guess the results being in favour of the french would mean they could not write the trashy story.
Quote “Anti-depressant use is high by European standards, and while it’s tricky to compare differing sets of data, suicide appears to be high too”
Well, am I pleased you told me 'all that 'Arry
no worries Billy boy
Glad to offer some info
I can only base my response on limited personal experience, for example regular conversations with my 81-year-old neighbour who tells me a joke about once a fortnight. He enjoys doing so, he always pulls an artful face and adopts a conspiratorial manner.
A recent example from his repertoire, all delivered in Normandy French:
The curée tells his congregation, I have two pieces of bad news, and two pieces of good news. The first bad news, the church roof is rotten and has to be replaced. The first good news, we’ve found a roofer who can do it starting next week. Second bad news, it will cost us twenty thousand euros. Second good news, we have already located a source of money to pay for it… it’s in your pockets…! "
Hé always repeats the punch line “c’est dans vos poches !” with huge satisfaction, you’ll be made of stone not to chuckle.
I’ve listened to several French people discuss this, wasn’t there some sort of survey a few years ago released in France that said the French were depressed and it was discussed on French radio? The best reasons I heard were all linked to the French education system and its emphasis on creating a meritocracy meaning that from petite section you are judged and graded, right up through the brevet and to the bac. following which you will judged worthy, or not, to go on to a cour preparatoire to study for entrance to a grand ecole. If you are granted this privilege only one in four will succeed. So, according to these French people NOT ME, the vast majority of French finish their education having been repeatedly put in a situation where they are shown not to be good enough to belong to the elite. All that said, I don’t find people particularly miserable and compared to some of the opinions in the English press they’re very chipper.
These british written articles are really funny and informative to read, they spend their time writing on us hahaha
More seriously, the article has some truths inside. And Caroline is right about the school education system. We don’t have that “everything is possible do what you want” anglo-saxon spirit. This is something that french culture seriously lacks of