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Prevention key to dealing with spike in suicide rate
LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The recent deaths of fashion
designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have cast a spotlight
on a jarring spike in suicides worldwide and on the importance of confronting
the issue.
More than 800,000 commit suicide annually around the world and suicide is
listed as the second highest cause of death among people between the ages of
15 and 29, according to the World Health Organization.
In the United States, 45,000 people took their own lives in 2016, a
worrisome increase of nearly 30 percent since 1999.
“It is difficult to explain, but this may be due in part to the opioid
epidemic and economic factors that may have a stronger impact in the US than
other developed countries because we do not have as comprehensive a
protective health and social safety net as most European countries,” said
David Brent, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Richard Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry, said in an op-ed
piece in the New York Times that “the prevalence of suicide has fluctuated
over time, often rising during periods of social strife” as was the case in
1932, during the Great Depression.
“The real question is why our society has made so little progress in
dealing with the public health crisis of suicide,” he wrote. “In fact, the
suicide rate last year – 13.7 per 100,000 people – was nearly the same as the
rate a century earlier.”
“We should declare war on suicide – just as we’ve done with other public
health threats like HIV and heart disease – and give it the research and
clinical funding needed to beat it,” he added.
– Developing countries most affected –
Countries riven by conflict, such as Sri Lanka, are among the most
affected, while South Korea and Japan are on the top of the list of
industrialized countries dealing with high suicide rates.
Someone who has experienced war, a natural disaster, violence or sexual
abuse has a higher likelihood of committing suicide, according to the World
Health Organization,
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In France, the suicide rate has plunged by 26 percent over the last 15
years to 10,000 a year, but remains one of the highest in Europe.
While the recent deaths of Spade and Bourdain have cast the spotlight on
suicide in developed countries, the WHO says that more than three quarters of
suicides take place in developing countries.
The majority of those who take their own life suffer from a mental health
issue such as depression or anxiety, US health officials say, but other
factors include loneliness, the loss of a job or a loved one and the breakup
of a relationship.
All levels of society and age groups are affected, they add.
Young people, who can be influenced, are more vulnerable to copycat
suicides, especially after a celebrity takes his or her own life.
People in certain professions, including the military and farming, are also
more affected as are ethnic and racial minorities.
– ‘Reached out for help’ –
Experts say that suicide is often not preceded by warnings and is a shock
to families and loves ones who didn’t see it coming.
Bourdain belonged to a “strong man doesn’t ask for help generation,” the
actress Rose McGowan, who was friends with the chef and his girlfriend Asia
Argento, said in an open letter following his death.
“I know before Anthony died he reached out for help, and yet he did not
take the doctor’s advice,” she wrote.
Experts note that medical monitoring and psychotherapy often help in such
cases.
The proper training of medical and emergency personnel is also essential,
they note, as people who survive a suicide attempt are at high risk to try
again.
“I think my mom has been the most consistent in coming to my rescue and
helping me take steps to seek light,” said Ben, a veteran who left the army
nine years ago and has since been dealing with suicidal thoughts.
“I have also had direct access to a social worker at the Veterans Affairs
for the past nine years and have exerted a lot of effort exploring and
reaching positive outcomes with self-help and mindfulness practices.”
The WHO has underlined that access to firearms has been associated with
increased suicide rates.
Health officials in the United States say that suicide rates are
significantly higher in areas where people own guns and that 22,000 suicides
a year are related to firearms.
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