CDC: Suicide Rate On The Rise
June 8, 2018
A new report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the suicide rate in the United States has risen since 1999, with half of all U.S. states reporting an increase greater than 30 percent.
The report also identifies that 45,000 Americans died by suicide in 2016.
“Suicide is a leading cause of death in the US,” CDC officials said in the report, which was released via the Center’s publication Vital Signs.
The report also indicated that the suicide rate has risen in 49 out of 50 states, with only Nevada seeing a decrease. North Dakota had the biggest increase, with its suicide rate rising by 57.6 percent.
…Although the CDC identified several contributing factors to suicide — such as relationship and financial problems, mental health conditions, and upcoming or recent life crises — there is no one single cause, and 54 percent of suicide victims did not have a known mental health condition.
“Many factors contribute to suicide among those with and without known mental health conditions,” the CDC said.
Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade’s death ignites concern about rising suicide rate
The deaths of chef-turned-TV host Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade this week has reminded Americans of the enormous toll of suicide, a growing problem that claims nearly 45,000 lives a year.
Suicide rates in the U.S. have risen nearly 30% since 1999, according to a report released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicides increased in both men and women, in all ethnic groups and in both urban and rural areas. Suicide and “self-harm,” a category that includes attempted suicides, cost the nation $70 billion a year in medical care and lost work time, the CDC says.
Nearly half of people who died by suicide had a known mental health condition, according to the CDC. Family members have given different accounts of Spade’s struggle. In media interviews, her sister, Reta Saffo, has said that she believes the designer suffered from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression.
The designer’s husband said in a statement that she “suffered from depression and anxiety for many years” and “was actively seeking help” before she died on Tuesday.
…Although more Americans die from suicides than car accidents or opioids, the stigma of mental illness prevents suicide from getting much attention, apart from fleeting news coverage when celebrities, such as comedian Robin Williams, take their own lives, Lieberman said.
People suffering from serious mental illness are at high risk of suicide, said Dr. Jennifer Payne, director of the Women’s Mood Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. About 10% of people with major depression die of suicide. About 15% of people with bipolar disorder die from suicide.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline and Website, if you need help:
1 – 800 – 273 – TALK (8255)
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Why People Kill Themselves. It’s Not Depression by Mike Goulson
Miss Daisy Flower 