Why Are Depression And Suicide Rates Still Rising?

As I continue writing for Sunshine Behavioral Health (https://www.facebook.com/SunshineBehavi1), I believed it was time to start talking about suicides.

Famous people like Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade has recently committed suicide. The issue sparked a question, why are depression and suicide becoming so prevalent? What are the actionable steps needed to be done to stop this trend? As it turns out there are several factors why the rates are going upwards.

Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/mental-health-wellness-psychology-2019924/

Research and Observation

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented in a report stating that the number of deaths by suicide in the United States (http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide) has increased by nearly 25 percent in the past few decades. Given the report, the primary cause of the rise is still not obvious. There were a couple of researches in the past concluded that the increased social isolation, economic factors, an increase of cases of mental illness to be the cause of increased rates of depression and suicide.

Other studies have been pointing to the increased use of technology. It has been alleged to have reduced physical interactions among people, although some argue that technology did, in fact, reduce the sense of loneliness. The bottom line though is that all the studies and discussions, no matter how extensive are still just speculations and cannot be used to pinpoint the actual cause of the rise.

Dr. Katalin Szanto, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stated that it's difficult to make generalizations when talking about suicide. She has written many articles about suicide prevention. Szanto reported that many think that the aging population would be the most vulnerable to depression and suicide. While the actual facts show that young people from ages 15 to 24 are dying because of suicide.

A report previously issued by CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicideTechnicalPackage.pdf) states that in the United States, suicide is often associated with other forms of violence, like bullying, sexual assault, or child abuse. But, cases of these forms of violence did not increase, and possibly even dropped in a couple of decades, the rate of suicide did. So what really caused the increase in suicide rates?

What Causes This Unfortunate Rise?

Deborah M. Stone, ScD, MSW, MPH, which is a behavioral scientist at the CDC. Stone states that research results alone don't point out the formative causes in the influx of suicide rates. Nonetheless, the experts say that there isn't a single reason why a person would take his or her life. Stone said, the reason is usually caused by a combination of personal, relationship, community, economic and societal problems.

Economic Problems

Stone pointed out that in the great recession of the late 2000s and the following financial hurdles and the worry about the potential fallout of the economy, has increased suicide risks. Research in the past on the connection between business cycles and the United States suicide rates show that the overall number of suicide cases increase and decrease respectively with the economy. As suicide rates rise in times of economic strife, this causes the financial stress of the parents to crawl down to their children that makes them vulnerable.

Substance Abuse

Substance misuse is a known factor for causing suicide. Therefore, opioid misuse is one major driving factor of rising suicide rates. The numbers show an overlap in the demographics of the population most affected by suicide and opiate overdose deaths.

Community

Rural areas have experienced high suicide rates, historically speaking. Although there are ups and downs with the rates over time. Studies show that overall across cities and towns in the United States, the suicide rates increased. That said, it is the rural areas that are seeing the most increase. Associated with the lack of access to mental healthcare and greater social isolation.

Social Media

Social media has the potential to aggravate bullying, idealize suicide. And be a medium for delivering a harmful display of suicide methods. On a brighter note, social media can be used to fortify communication between people, dismiss thoughts and ideas around suicide, and facilitate access to help.

How Can We Stop Rising Suicide Rates?

Stopping suicide shows a great deal of hope. In a 10-year study (https://catalyst.nejm.org/dramatically-reduced-suicide/) conducted by the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, doctors and therapists used many different interventions that resulted in an 80 percent decrease in suicide rates. People who get through the 20-minute temptation of ending their lives. If they have the opportunity to get in touch with family or friends. They would have a higher chance of getting through the situation into the bright side. If someone you know is contemplating suicide, there is help out there.

Charles W
(https://twitter.com/charleswatson00)