Suicide is on the rise while solutions remain elusive

Suicide is now the leading cause of death by injury in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as reported by the American Journal of Public Health. In an analysis of data from 2000 to 2009, researchers found that motor vehicle mortality has declined by 25%, whereas suicide deaths increased by 15%.

Government agencies that lead health and mental health efforts provide data supporting the journal’s analysis. The Centers for Disease Control reports suicide and self-injury accounted for 36,909 deaths in 2009. That amounts to 82 deaths, 1,700 emergency room visits per day.

While firearms remain the leading means for completed suicide, death and injury by ingesting substances is on the rise. Earlier this month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a finding that 8.6 million adults had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

Research described by the National Institue of Mental Health has developed a profile of those at greatest risk, which include men, who are white or Native American. Suicide is better known as a problem for teens, but adults ages 20-24 and over age 65 have a relatively greater risk for suicide.

Suicide is often the consequence of a mental health problem. About 90% of those who committed suicide had depression and/or a substance abuse problem. With an estimated 1 in 4 Americans with a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, these disorders are epidemic in this country.

While suicide is a serious public health threat that has risen to the tenth leading cause of death, increases in research and care funding is expected to shrink. President Obama signed an executive order mandating VA hospitals to improve mental health care for veterans. Veterans have double the suicide rate of civilians and suicide rates greatly outnumber death in combat.

Solutions to suicide remain elusive as the problem is related to a constellation of mental health problems and stresses. At the same time, the states have been cutting their mental health spending in response to ongoing fiscal crises. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that $1.6 billion of mental health services have been cut from state budgets.

Cuts state mental health funding means that local services bear more cost in emergency department visits, police intervention, and inpatient hospitalization.

 

 

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