Suicides rise during recessions, CDC study confirms

[somone]

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/4830451-423/suicides-rise-during-recessions-cdc-study-confirms.html

Suicides rise during recessions, CDC study confirms
By MONIFA THOMAS

Suicide rates in the United States tend to rise during recessions and fall during times of economic growth, according to a new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Economic crises such as the Great Depression, the oil crisis of the 1970s and the “double-dip recession” of the early 1980s were all associated with increasing suicide rates among adults ages 25 to 64, researchers reported Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health. Suicides were also associated with rising unemployment levels. The largest spike was seen during the Depression, when the national suicide rate jumped from 18 suicides per 100,000 people in 1928 to an all-time high 22 per 100,000 in 1932. Meanwhile, suicide rates fell during times of economic prosperity, such as after World War II and between 1991 and 2001. Rates hit an all-time low in 2000.

The study looked at economic trends between 1928 and 2007 and compared them to suicide rates among different age groups. Though researchers found a strong association between the two, the study wasn’t designed to prove there’s actually a cause-and-effect relationship. They noted that there may be other social, cultural and medical factors that could have also influenced suicide rates during the years studied. Still, the findings indicate that economic hardship may be a precipitating factor for people already at risk for committing suicide.

“Economic problems can impact how people feel about themselves and their futures, as well as their relationships with family and friends,” said James Mercy, acting director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s Division of Violence Prevention. Mercy was not involved in the research. Based on the findings, more resources should be devoted to suicide prevention during tough economic times, the study’s authors said. But a report released last month by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that states desperate to cut costs during the most recent recession have slashed spending for mental health services by more than $1.8 billion since 2009.

[Tejas]

1. Slow day at the CDC.