Why is the rate of suicide and mental illness going up?

A lot of reasons that others have already stated. Only speculation from me as I don't have any experience from my own be it my own thoughts or by someone close to me. But this is what I think. The world is becoming easier to live in so as Enki said: the lack of struggle and understanding of life and death. This is one reason as people are more active, band together and fight trought against challenges. If we are not given a certain level of stress and need for others then life becomes boring as you have time to think about not so important stuff. Another thing is the amount of information we get. The huge amount of options, chances in life and pressure to succeed. The uncertain nature of jobs these days (many might not have a 40 year careers in one employer anymore compared to my parents generation). For many these can be very scary and actually a negative when they might just want to follow others, do something simple but challenging to survive and find a job+love that will last. And one last that came to my mind is the uncertain nature of rules and boundaries between human interactions. This has been a topic of disgussion for some time now but mainly in bad occasions like in legal court cases or smearing a thinker who wants to but out there a question. But the idea is that compared to the old days the level of interaction has changed faster than some can keep up. And also the boundary signals has changed. A good example is how people dress, use makeup or behave. In the old days suggestive, revealing clothing or certain behaviour patterns were linked to showing signals to those the other side, aka wanting to date etc. Also locations where this was happening like local dances etc. These days the clothing, high heels, makeup and behaviour has become the norm and people view it as a way to express individuality. The truth is though that the root of those things might be in the sending of signals to others so people get now confused and scared to interact. All of these can have a compounding effect. Many can cope with them but a lot of people are left behind the change and they get lost due to it.

Astute observation, Kraft. Yeah, forgot to touch on this when I mentioned "too much time in front of a phone or computer screen", but human brains need time to process information. And we're absorbing information way faster than we used to. So, thus, it can lead into conditions like insomnia, if you're constantly hooked on news topics, friend updates, and things like that. But if you have the time, just let your brain defrag. Put a pillow over your eyes to cut the light, and give your eyes a chance to rest. Then just let your mind drift for a period of time. It's a good way to take a break, relax, and let the echo chamber empty.

And again: Humans vs Zombies. Great way to make friends, fight for survival, hunt with the pack, and bond with people in a way that feels meaningful.

The power of self-suggestion cannot be ignored! We have had so many kids/adults who diagnose themselves with severe mental issues! Situational depression isn't equal to clinical depression!

Also on the stress topic involving the work week, I found many of the points in this video insightful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpYQ8rYSrI

Not that I necessarily doubt that, but can we get some sources? I think the rate of mental illness is going up merely because we keep "discovering" new ones, and or possibly misdiagnosing people. Back in the early 90s when they said ADD/ADHD was a thing it was being diagnosed left and right. In my High School it seemed like 1/5 people had it (Luckily, not me!). But who knows, I could be wrong. As for suicide, I have no idea, perhaps there is a strong correlation between the type of psychiatric drugs we keep prescribing to people and suicide. If there is someone here who works with mentally ill and/or suicidal people, they would have a better answer.