Suicide rates are on the rise

Bad news, per a press release from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The CDC has released it’s 2017 mortality report on suicide and found that 47,173 Americans killed themselves – an increase of 3.7% over the 44,965 Americans who killed themselves in 2016.

The suicide rate is at a 50 year peak, an astonishingly high number, and one which is actually contributing to a decrease in the life expectancy of the average American. Suicide is the currently 10th leading cause of death in America.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says that five things need to change in order to comprehensively address suicide reduction:

1. Cultural attitudes about help seeking and overall awareness about mental health conditions.
2. Access to affordable mental health care.
3. Training for primary care physicians to screen for mental health and suicide risks.
4. Reducing access to lethal means of suicide.
5. Better data collection.

I’d add this, based on other research that I’d seen: We need a stronger social safety net. This means that we need a more activist government that can provide a social and financial backstop for people who are in need of it. Studies have shown that suicide rates are lower in areas where there is a stronger social safety net, but that connection seems to be particularly strong when there is good access to health care and housing assistance.

This is a harder one to advocate for, to be honest, and I think there are two reasons behind that.

First, the concept of a “stronger social safety net” is broader and more abstract. The five points noted above are relatively clear-cut, and the connection between them and suicide reduction is clear. I think that connection is weaker when it comes to improving the social safety net, but it doesn’t mean that the two aren’t connected.

Second – and maybe this is just in my head – is a political concern: A stronger social safety net requires more government intervention and funding. That, of course, is a much broader and more political statement, one which slants more towards the progressive end of the ideological spectrum. And that gets difficult for non-partisan organizations which typically fight for stronger mental health services.

I think that’s a long term challenge for the mental health community. Again, I’m a Democrat and pretty progressive, so I’m biased, but I do think that the research bears this out: A more progressive political orientation is better for individuals with mental health challenges and to reduce the scourge of suicide.

That is NOT to say that Republicans or conservatives don’t care about mental health or suicide reduction – nothing could be further from the truth, and I have very proudly worked with Republicans and conservatives on mental health and suicide reduction legislation. But, it is a challenge. The simple truth is that making improvements in these areas requires more government intervention.

Anyway, as always, I’m curious to hear your thoughts – do you agree or disagree with me? Let us know in the comments below!