Suicide Rates Spike Across Country By More Than 30 Percent, With All But One State Seeing An Increase
CDC researchers emphasized in their report that more than half of those suicides were committed by people who had not been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Noting that suicide is “very rare” among those with chronic depression, they said friends, families and co-workers should not overlook the risk of self-harm among those who have never been diagnosed with mental illness.
Reuters:
U.S. Suicide Rates See Sharp Increase From 1999 To 2016: CDC
Suicide rates rose in nearly every U.S. state from 1999 to 2016, with the rate spiking by more than 30 percent in half of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday. Though mental health is often blamed for suicides, more than half of the people who took their own lives in 27 states in 2015 had not been diagnosed with a mental illness, the CDC said. (Brice, 6/7)
The New York Times:
Defying Prevention Efforts, Suicide Rates Are Climbing Across The Nation
The new analysis found that nearly 45,000 Americans aged 10 or older died by their own hand in 2016. The increase varied widely by state, from a low of 6 percent in Delaware to more than 57 percent in North Dakota. The rate declined in just one state, Nevada, where it has historically been higher than average. Social isolation, lack of mental health treatment, drug and alcohol abuse and gun ownership are among the factors that contribute to suicide. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and one of three that is increasing. The other two are Alzheimer’s disease and drug overdose, in part because of the spike in opioid deaths, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the C.D.C. (Carey, 6/7)
The Washington Post:
Suicide Rates Rise Sharply Across The United States, New Report Shows
“The data are disturbing,” said Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director. “The widespread nature of the increase, in every state but one, really suggests that this is a national problem hitting most communities.” It is hitting many places especially hard. In half of the states, suicide among people age 10 and older increased more than 30 percent. “At what point is it a crisis?” asked Nadine Kaslow, a past president of the American Psychological Association. “Suicide is a public health crisis when you look at the numbers, and they keep going up. It’s up everywhere. And we know that the rates are actually higher than what’s reported. But homicides still get more attention.” (Nutt, 6/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
CDC Finds Rise In Suicide Rates Across The U.S.
“We have a long way to go to strengthen our community and health systems to make sure when someone is at risk we get them to care,” said Jerry Reed, an executive committee member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The alliance is working with more than 250 hospitals to ensure that someone brought in after a suicide attempt is connected to long-term mental-health care, Dr. Reed said. Churches, schools and police also need to get better at recognizing people at risk for suicide and helping them get treatment or feel less isolated, he said. Limiting access to guns for people who are unwell is also a priority, he said. “We have to ask people who are at risk if they have a firearm, and while they’re in recovery or treatment, recommend safe storage of that firearm,” he said. “It might be a good idea while they’re in treatment if someone could hold onto that firearm.” (Whalen, 6/7)
Los Angeles Times:
Suicides Have Increased By More Than 30% Since 1999 In Half The States, CDC Says
In a closer look at suicides in 2015, CDC researchers found that 29.4% took place within two weeks of a crisis — most commonly a breakup or other problem related to an intimate-partner relationship. Among the less-common factors presumed to have contributed to the suicides studied were physical health problems, legal difficulties, a family relationship issue or a job-related problem. (Healy, 6/7)
