United States Sees Highest Suicide Rate in 15 Years
The CDC report showed that between 2008 and 2009, the suicide rate increased 2.4 percent, with 36,909 suicide deaths reported nationally. In August 2011, a report from the CDC showed that in 2008, 13.4 percent of people who committed suicide had experienced job and financial problems. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, an emergency crisis hotline reported a 14 percent increase in call volume between 2010 and 2011. The CDC’s thus recommended increasing counseling, job placement and financial services that can help reduce the mental distress that can increase suicide risk.
“The recent increase in suicide, whether heightened by economic strain or other social triggers, signifies the need for education and training on understanding and preventing suicide,” said Dr. Lisa Firestone, Director of Research and Education at The Glendon Association and Violence and Suicide Prevention Alliance. “The suicidal state is both preventable and treatable. Services and education have been proven to save lives. Armed with the right tools to identify the warning signs and implement helper tasks, we can fight this crisis.”
Between 2008 and 2009 an estimated 8.3 million adults (almost 4 percent of the U.S. adult population) reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, according to the CDC. More than 2.2 million adults reported making suicide plans in the past year, and more than 1 million adults reported attempting suicide in the past year.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 percent of American adults suffered from mental illness in 2010, but only 39.2 percent of that group said they received treatment. With this decrease in U.S. mental health services, the general public, schools, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and military personnel would all benefit from education on suicide prevention.
The Glendon Association’s free website, PsychAlive.org, provides suicide prevention advice that includes information on warning signs, risk factors, helper tasks and strategies for prevention and intervention that have proven effective in reducing suicide risk and completion.
Suicide rate in U.S. is up
After falling for more than a decade, the U.S. suicide rate has climbed steadily since 1999, driven by an alarming increase among middle-age adults, researchers said Monday.
A new six-year analysis in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the U.S. suicide rate rose to 11 per 100,000 people in 2005, from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999, an increase of just under 5%.
The report found that virtually all of the increase was attributable to a nearly 16% jump in suicides among people ages 40 to 64, a group not commonly seen as high-risk. The rate for that age group rose to 15.6 per 100,000 in 2005, from 13.5 per 100,000 in 1999.
Susan P. Baker, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and an author of the study, said she was baffled by the findings. Sociological studies have found that middle age is generally a time of relative security and emotional well-being, she said.
“We really don’t know what is causing this,” said Dr. Paula Clayton, research director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, who was not involved in the study. “All we have is speculation.”
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Denise Gellene and Gellene is a Times staff writer.
European countries with strong social safety nets and services have shown little increase in suicide rates, even in rough economic times,according to data collected from Eurostat and the World Health Organization, proving that education and services can make a difference. Organizations like The Glendon Association that provide education and assessment are important to reducing the rate of suicide in the country. Over the past 30 years, Glendon has conducted research and developed effective assessments for both suicide and self-destructive behavior.
About The Glendon Association/ Violence and Suicide Prevention Alliance: The Glendon Association is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to save lives and enhance mental health by addressing the social problems of suicide, violence, child abuse, and troubled interpersonal relationships. Glendon provides educational resources, publications, films, and assessment tools focused on violence and suicide prevention, assessment and treatment Glendon’s Director of Research and Education, Dr. Lisa Firestone educates the public and mental health professionals on how to identify risk factors and effective treatment and assessment to help prevent suicide.
Suicide Rates in U.S. Increase as Economy Declines, CDC Researchers Find
Suicide rates in the U.S. tend to rise during recessions and fall amid economic booms, according to study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Suicides reached a record high of 22 people per 100,000 in 1932 during the Great Depression, CDC officials said in a report published online today in the American Journal of Public Health. That was double the rates seen in 2000, when 10 people per 100,000 took their lives as the economy prospered, the study found.
The study is the first to link business cycles and suicide rates among specific age groups, according to the Atlanta-based CDC. People in their “prime working ages” of 25 to 64 years old are the most likely to commit suicide during recessions, the study found.
“Economic problems can impact how people feel about themselves and their futures as well as their relationships with family and friends,” Feijun Luo, an economist in CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention and the study’s lead author, said today in a statement. “Prevention strategies can focus on individuals, families, neighborhoods or entire communities to reduce risk factors.”
The researchers examined economic data and suicide rates for the 80 years ending in 2007. They didn’t evaluate suicide rates during the recession that ended in June 2009.
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By Molly Peterson
For more information or to schedule an interview contact Jina Carvalho .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) 805-681-0415 ext232
http://www.glendon.org
Individuals in crisis or who know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
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Source: Glendon Association