This is such a tragedy. The New York Times reports that suicide rates in the US are at a 30-year high:
Suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. ...
The increases were so widespread that they lifted the nation’s suicide rate to 13 per 100,000 people, the highest since 1986.
“It’s really stunning to see such a large increase in suicide rates affecting virtually every age group,” said Katherine Hempstead, senior adviser for health care at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who has identified a link between suicides in middle age and rising rates of distress about jobs and personal finances.
Researchers also found an alarming increase among girls 10 to 14, whose suicide rate, while still very low, had tripled. The number of girls who killed themselves rose to 150 in 2014 from 50 in 1999. “This one certainly jumped out,” said Sally Curtin, a statistician at the center and an author of the report.
A related report states that suicide is the leading cause of violent death in the state of Arkansas. Health activists are touring the state educating citizens about the signs of suicidal depression, as well as efforts at prevention at both the government and individual level.
If you or someone you know is reporting ANY of the symptoms of depression or hopelessness, please know your life matters. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8755) and speak to someone about it. Several of us at Crooks and Liars know firsthand what it means to lose someone to suicide. Please call.
