It was a frequently used argument during the pandemic, one often used against lockdowns: Suicide rates would increase as a result of social isolation, financial hardships, and more limited access to proper medical care. This fear was repeated by medical professionals and medical health care experts. Even Donald Trump repeated the line at one point, … Continue reading Are suicides increasing during COVID-19?
The CDC has released new suicide statistics for 2018 (previous numbers were for 2017). The results, by and large, were problematic. In a nutshell: Suicide deaths in America went from roughly 47,173 to 48,344. That’s an increase of about 1.4%. Believe it or not, there’s good news here. The slope of the increase is starting … Continue reading New Suicide Statistics Show that Things Are Still Getting Worse, but…
I’ve written repeatedly about Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, and usually in a pretty damning light. Like others (who are far more informed and educated than I am), I’ve expressed my real concern that the show has unintentionally glamorized suicide, and there has been evidence to suggest that it actually led to an increase in suicides. However, a new … Continue reading New study: 13 Reasons Why did not cause an increase in suicides, and may have done some good
I’ve written about it before: Economics and suicide are tied. To be clear, that’s not to say that poor people are more likely to die by suicide; by and large, suicide crosses economic boundaries. What is more likely to be associated with increases or decreases in suicide rates is a change in economic status: An … Continue reading Another Study Ties Higher Minimum Wage with Reduced Suicides
As you may have seen last week, the FCC voted to formally approve the regulatory process which would take the Suicide Prevention Hotline number (currently 1-800-273-8255) and turn it into a three-digit number, 9-8-8. It will take at least a year for the new line to go live. For many reasons, this is a big … Continue reading Will new three-digit Suicide Prevention Hotline lead to a surge in calls?
When people who oppose gun control don’t want to say, “Hey, yeah, I think that we should allow ordinary citizens to own ballistic weapons without so much as a background check,” they don’t do that. Instead, they say, “We shouldn’t focus on gun control – we should focus on mental health.” It’s a lovely political … Continue reading How Gun Control Can Help Stop Suicides
It goes without saying that when someone you care about loses a person they love to suicide, you want to do everything you can to support that person. That being said, survivors of suicide loss endure an array of emotions: Guilt and loss, fear and anger, confusion and resentment. During that experience, you want to … Continue reading How To Support A Friend Who Lost Someone To Suicide
Advocates for suicide prevention and mental health often talk broadly about “the stigma” which surrounds mental illness and suicide. Many of us – myself included – believe that if we can just get more people talking and thinking of mental illness, if we can have people discussing their issues with depression, anxiety, addiction and more … Continue reading More Than Stigma: Shifting the Nature of the Conversation Around Mental Health and Suicide
This study – and the subsequent reports – paint a stark and brutal picture for rural America. They also paint a devastating picture when it comes to suicide. First, the study itself, as published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that suicide rates had increased 41% among those aged 25-64 … Continue reading Rural America is in huge trouble when it comes to suicide
Some ridiculously good news out of the federal government (yes, really) when it comes to mental health: The Federal Communications Commission plans to move forward with establishing a three-digit number for the federally-backed hotline. Thursday’s announcement from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai signals the culmination of one of the final legislative priorities of former Senate President Pro … Continue reading Suicide Prevention Hotline appears set to get a three digit number
