Death to America: Suicide Surge Parallels Era of Economic Woes

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/04/22/death-america-suicide-surge-parallels-era-economic-woes

Coinciding with growing income inequality, widespread economic stagnation, and a continued lack of basic health services during the same time period, a new federal report reveals a surging suicide rate among the U.S. population over the last three decades.

Published Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics, an arm of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the new report shows how—after a plateau in the 1980s and 90s—the suicide rate in the U.S. dramatically increased from 1999 to 2014, with the largest increase taking place after 2006. According to the CDC, suicide remains the 10th leading cause of death in the country.

"It’s a broad-based increase in suicide," Sally Curtin, a statistician with the CDC and one of the report’s main authors, told the PBS Newshour.

Among the key statistics contained in the report:

From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000 population, with the pace of increase greater after 2006.
Suicide rates increased from 1999 through 2014 for both males and females and for all ages 10–74.
The percent increase in suicide rates for females was greatest for those aged 10–14, and for males, those aged 45–64.
The most frequent suicide method in 2014 for males involved the use of firearms (55.4%), while poisoning was the most frequent method for females (34.1%).

[redwitch]

1. How incredibly awful!

I was especially struck by this: The percent increase in suicide rates for females was greatest for those aged 10–14. We are one screwed up society.

[Hortensis]

2. And very predictable for older people. As for the kids

and our being "one screwed up society," we should do far better, but is it far worse today? Did kids have it so much easier in the past, especially in village societies where there was no escape from the role the "group" assigned except suicide, particularly for girls, when society dealt with the problem of suicide with threats of eternal fire instead of Prozac?

This reminds me of the 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life," where a man clearly suffering from severe clinical depression is magically transformed to joyful by coming to understand the purpose of his life. To this day people think this is an inspiring story instead of revelatory of a dreadful lack of insight into mental disturbance, which in almost all societies in all times undoubtedly dates back to the beginning of human history. We today are finally understanding, finally enlightened, with more insights coming every day.

[fasttense]

5. Wow, what a different take on It's A Wonderful Life

I never ever saw it as a tale of clinical depression. I guess you can see what you want to see in a movie much like in a painting. But I always saw the movie as God answering the prayers of a whole town. It was a Christmas miracle.

Clinical Depression really has no causal event. It usually is Not triggered by huge emotional events like an actual threat of going to prison. It can be triggered by small events like not getting that promotion or being turned down by a loved one. The only reason George was considering suicide was because the wealthiest man in town stole his bank's money and told George he was worth more dead than alive. That dramatic scene at the end was caused by an ubber rich corrupt banker who was trying to wipe out the middle class in town.

There was a statistician who noted that the rate of suicide went up when conservatives where in power and when the economy was bad.

[Hortensis]

11. Suicide up when conservatives are in power?

I hadn't read about that correlation (good grief!), but of course it's always up when the economy's down.

As for the movie, watch again, or maybe don't. I don't really want to spoil it for people who enjoy it for what it was meant to convey. I never could. I tried watching it a couple Christmases ago with "new eyes" to see why it was so popular and ended up turning it off long before it was done, felt too sorry for the poor whiny schmuck. George didn't start out a happy man, though, and soon is obviously very depressed. God fixed the depression along with everything else, of course, but that's not listed among the problems in the movie.

It's amazing to realize these days just how recently we started emerging from the dark ages of ignorance in this respect. Of course, no doubt many people and many societies at various times, including 1940s America, recognized that depression could be due to something other than a failure of faith.

[fasttense]

16. It wasn't very popular when it first came out.

Perhaps because others saw it your way.

I don't care for a Christmas Carol because Scrooge was just a grumpy old man. He really wasn't all that rich compared to the royals of his day and age who had syphioned off a lot of Britain's wealth. The visiting spirits seemed to lift his spirits though.

[shrike]

20. Interesting interpretations here of "It's a Wonderful Life"

I read one not long ago: that it is an affirmation for the Depression generation, that all their struggles and sacrifices were ultimately worth it.

I finally saw the whole movie and was surprised how dark it was. George is not entirely likable. A very angry man. A disappointed man, but the angel does show him that he created a fine life for himself without realizing it. It may not have been the life he originally intended to have, but it was a fine life all the same.

[tralala]

13. Interesting

I always thought "It's a Wonderful Life" is about how suicide is okay if a person doesn't have friends or family

[bvar22]

3. Gee. Could the despair and hopelessness be connected to this?

Retirement: A third have less than $1,000 put away
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/03/18/retirement-confidence-survey-savings/6432241/

65 percent of working families are living from paycheck to paycheck.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/01/10/why-conservatives-old-divide-and-conquer-strategy-%E2%80%94-setting-working-class-against-the-poor-%E2%80%94-is-backfiring/

"Obama Admin’s TPP Trade Officials Received Hefty Bonuses From Big Banks"
http://billmoyers.com/2014/02/20/obama-admin%E2%80%99s-tpp-trade-officials-received-hefty-bonuses-from-big-banks/

95 percent of the economy’s gains have gone to the top 1 percent
http://billmoyers.com/2014/01/10/why-conservatives-old-divide-and-conquer-strategy-%E2%80%94-setting-working-class-against-the-poor-%E2%80%94-is-backfiring/

Billionaire wealth doubles since financial crisis
http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/11/12/Billionaire-wealth-doubles-since-financial-crisis/5011384268135/?spt=hts&or=12

[Mbrow]

4. +1

And people wonder why so many do not want to continue in the same direction.. In case any one missed that.

[dreamnightwind]

7. Thanks, I am one of the hopeless myself

We have to make the connections between seemingly abstract political realities and the consequences to individuals.

Many older Americans find themselves without savings or jobs or government or social support. What will become of us?

[Enthusiast]

8. Direct correlation.

[Dustlawyer]

9. +1!!! The increase in suicides in men would correlate with them losing good paying jobs and not

finding anything in their trade. They have been forced to menial work, if they could find it and if they could swallow their pride. No retirement to look forward to and their bodies starting to break down with age. So much of our sense of self is tied to our work. When that is gone we suffer, especially as we watch our families suffer or go without!

All this so the Kochs and the Waltons can have even more in the bank! It's sick and they should be pariahs in our society! We should be prosecuting Wall Street for their crimes, yet we only encourage their bad behavior by proving to them that they are above the law!

[Turbineguy]

6. And the

NRA is right there to help.

[EL34x4]

18. What does the NRA have to do with this?

You do realize that Canada, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, France, Finland, Belgium, Japan, Hungary, and South Korea all have higher suicide rates than the United States, right?

[Katashi_itto]

10. Vote Clinton together we can make this higher! American exceptionalism!

[MisterP]

12. this PLEASES some people

[awoke_in_2003]

14. You are correct

There is only one way to deal with those, and it doesn't involve cake.

[yodermon]

15. First thing my wife mentioned when she heard this was:social media

It parallels the rise of Facebook et. al.
I will say it gets tiresome seeing how awesome everyone else's lives are in comparison to mine

[1939]

19. We used to only know about this

at Christmas time when we got the mimeographed letter folded in with the Christmas card about how wonderful and accomplished their whole family was. Now I guess it is daily on Facebook.

[shrike]

21. Exactly right. I'm glad someone else said it. Facebook is an endless Christmas letter

That said, I enjoy Facebook. But I use it to keep me abreast of different happenings in the area; I'm more in touch with things than I would be without it.

[Katashi_itto]

17. Who needs ISIS when you have RNC and DNC?