{"id":4396,"date":"2016-04-27T21:43:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T03:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=4396"},"modified":"2016-04-28T06:23:30","modified_gmt":"2016-04-28T12:23:30","slug":"q-how-much-should-we-care-about-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/04\/q-how-much-should-we-care-about-suicide.html","title":{"rendered":"Q. How much should we care about suicide?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=101954&picture=fresh-grave;<\/a><\/p>\n

A. \u00a0More than we care about breast cancer \u2014 at least, based on causes of death data.<\/p>\n

The CDC put out a\u00a0Data\u00a0Brief<\/a> recently on trends in suicides over the last 15 years which is unsettling, and worrisome. \u00a0I\u2019m not going to try to get into any in-depth discussion of causes, but the key item is this: \u00a0the death rate by suicide has climbed 24% since 1999. \u00a0The rate for women climbed by 45%, from 4 per hundred thousand to 5.8 per hundred thousand, and the rate for men, which was 4 1\/2 times as high as that for women in 1999, at 17.8, at least climbed at a slower pace, to 20.7 \u2014 though in absolute terms, the men\u2019s rate increased by 2.9 per 100,000, vs. 1.8 for women.<\/p>\n

Here are the two key tables:<\/p>\n

\"4-27-2016<\/a><\/p>\n

\"4-27-2016<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t be misled by the fact that these tables are the same size \u2014 read the numbers. \u00a0The women\u2019s rates are much smaller than the men\u2019s, and even at the age group where the women\u2019s rates have the most dramatic increase over this period, the men\u2019s rate grew, in absolute terms, by twice as much.<\/p>\n

And what else jumps out at you? \u00a0I had already know that the image we have of suicide being a problem primarily for teens and young adults is wrong, but I find it startling that the patterns are so different between men and women: \u00a0for women, there\u2019s a steady increase until middle age,then a drop back down. \u00a0For men, the age 75+ rates are significantly higher than any other year. \u00a0Did you know this?<\/p>\n

I suppose it\u2019s encouraging that the rate has come down slightly in the past 15 years, unlike the other age groups. \u00a0I have a vague memory of reading somewhere that there is an increasing awareness, and diagnosis and treatment of depression in the elderly, rather than just shrugging it off as \u201ceh, that happens when you get old\u201d \u2014 perhaps, presuming that I\u2019m remembering correctly, this is an indicator that this is making a difference.<\/p>\n

It also continues to be striking to me just how common suicide is. \u00a0Considering all ages, it is the 7th most common cause of death for men, according to a causes-of-death table<\/a> based on CDC data. \u00a0More strikingly, if I look only at men and women under age 75, and raw numbers of deaths, 50% more people die from suicide than breast cancer<\/strong> (39,186 vs. 26,326); looking at the under-65s, the number is double<\/strong> (35,076 vs. 16,706).<\/p>\n

When is Suicide Awareness Month? \u00a0What color is its \u201cawareness ribbon\u201d? \u00a0Do we focus on breast cancer because we know there are medical treatments, and suicide seems somehow unavoidable and inevitable? \u00a0Or because breast cancer victims are more sympathetic?<\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/p>\n

One further datapoint: \u00a0despite the increase in the number of firearms, the proportion of suicides by firearm has decreased. \u00a0Here\u2019s the relevant table (my table, based on data in the CDC report):<\/p>\n

\"4-28-2016<\/a><\/p>\n

In other words, the increase is almost all due to \u201cnot-by-firearm\u201d deaths, if one were to split these out separately as if they\u2019re two wholly separate occurrences.<\/p>\n

Another comment: \u00a0Wesley J. Smith, writing at the National Review<\/a>, connects this increase to the growing promotion of assisted suicide.<\/p>\n

I believe the assisted suicide movement bears partial responsibility. Suicides have increased at the very time the assisted suicide movement has been vigorously and prominently promoting self-killing as a proper means to alleviate suffering.<\/p>\n

Moreover, assisted suicide is often portrayed sympathetically in popular entertainment and the media is completely on board the assisted suicide bandwagon. Don\u2019t tell me that doesn\u2019t give despairing people lethal ideas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is he right? \u00a0Is there even any way to prove or disprove his theory? \u00a0I don\u2019t know; it\u2019s just food for thought.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Imagine: \u00a0http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=101954&picture=fresh-grave; public domain<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A. \u00a0More than we care about breast cancer \u2014 at least, based on causes of death data. The CDC put out a\u00a0Data\u00a0Brief recently on trends in suicides over the last 15 years which is unsettling, and worrisome. \u00a0I\u2019m not going to try to get into any in-depth discussion of causes, but the key item is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":4433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[188,102],"class_list":["post-4396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-breast-cancer","tag-suicide"],"yoast_head":"\nQ. How much should we care about suicide?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A. \u00a0More than we care about breast cancer -- at least, based on causes of death data. 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