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Suicide Rates Are Up 30 Percent Since 1999, CDC Says (nbcnews.com)
New submitter Austerity Empowers writes: Amidst all the name calling and straw man arguments about the overall health of America, sometimes it helps to look at data from people who sacrificed everything based on their perception of reality. Whatever politics you subscribe to, the feeling of hopelessness is evidently real, and frightening. NBC News: "Suicide rates are up by 30 percent across the nation since 1999, federal health officials reported Thursday. And only about half the people who died by suicide had a known mental health condition, even though depression had been thought to be the major cause of suicide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. While many cases of mental illness may have been diagnosed, the CDC also noted that relationship stress, financial troubles and substance abuse were contributing to the trends."
Really? Who could have guessed.
The division between the rich and poor, is without a question, worse than it was in 1999.
Hope is fading out for the middle and lower class. The middle class becomes smaller, soon to be just "the poors and the rich"
On top of this, the world is straight the fuck up, dying. We're not working towards protecting it very well, we're not working towards replacing it (finding a new one elsewhere)
Then we have the internet, it's giving the poor access to see what's going on in the world better, they can see just how rich the rich are becoming, they can see the death of the world better than ever before, they can communicate with each other (as I am right now) elaborating on why there's little hope.
Co2 is up, heat is up, methane bubbles are going off in siberia, animals are dying out, bees are dying off, America is slowly crumbling into debt. (no, I'm not American)
No fucking shit suicides are up 30%, I have to wonder what % of the suicide people are actually mentally broken or just strong enough to say "you know what, fuck all this"
Alcoholism and other drug abuse. Numb out enough and the body gives out. There's a huge problem with that in areas of the country that have been in economic decline.
It would be nice to see a year by year increase. "Since 1999" makes it hard to see the reason. Did it improve in some years and get worse in others? If so what policy changes may have caused this
As a former drug addict I can tell you from first hand experience many drug-heads are suicidal who are too timid to commit real suicide - so they choose the alternative --- drug themselves until they forget their pain
I guess a lot of alcoholics are in similar circumstance as well
Officially those who died of OD or those who drank themselves to death are not counted as suicide --- and they should be
And well below the peak 90 years ago.
Well below where it was 110 years ago, for that matter.
Note that the previous peak corresponded with the beginning of the Great Depression. Not really sure what was happening 110 or so years ago to cause a bounce in suicide rates - it overlapped with WW1, but got started well before then....
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
According to the CDC more than 3/4 of suicides are men, yet the article makes it all about women. Do you feel privileged yet?
The long-term suicide rate for the U.S. has fluctuated between about 10-14 per 100,000 over the last 40 years. 1999 was just the minimum, which the reporter cherry picked to try to turn this into a story. It's been higher in the past.
Also, suicide rates have been climbing up throughout the world, not just in the U.S. Curiously, homicide rates also stopped the long-term decline around 2010 and started creeping up again. So average global temperature may actually be linked (violence and higher temperatures have been correlated in the past). But nobody really knows for sure why, and anyone who claims they do is just trying to spin the story to fit their preconceptions.
As the CDC itself issued 'guidelines' to essentially force doctors to stop giving opioid drugs even to people with chronic pain illnesses and conditions, many of these people are giving up and killing themselves because of the pain.
This report isn't the CDC soberly discussing a disturbing trend. They're bragging at how effectively they themselves are helping cull people from the Social Security and disability payments lists, thus helping their government masters kick the can down the road a bit more.
When the CDC sticks to actual infectious disease, they're some of the best. Anything else, they're one of the evilest parts of the whole fucking federal government.
The article says that suicide rate increases have traditionally correlated with economic downturns but I wonder how much incremental impact the isolating effect of social media has now had on the rates? Along with the isolation social media also enables more intense bullying that also drives some to suicide. Between this and the fact that our new ânormalâ(TM) economy just isnâ(TM)t that great could this increase be just a bump to a new normal?
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain
A quick check of older data shows that suicide rates, even though up 30% since the turn of the century, are about the same as a century ago.
And well below the peak 90 years ago.
So, it's regressing to the mean - big deal, right?
This isn't some natural phenomena that just happens. These are people making the choice to off themselves. The suicide rate should be going to zero.
And the fact that it's going back up is indicative of some underlying problem that shouldn't be ignored.
Does that mean that CNN will stop showing that stupid show? If I turn to a new network, I expect to see news.
Just read that. Timely /. post.
Sense and enthusiasm are essential for a happy life. In a world transitioning though cyberpunk into post-scarcity faster than any science fiction writer could've ever imagined, sense, meaning and enthusiasm are constantly upended and revised.
These are not easy times. I was suicidal for a bit 6 years back. Luckily I though about what that would do to my daughter and pulled myself out of my rut of over-emphasised self-importance that often is the cause of 1st world depression and went to work to be useful to my loved ones. I bounced back pretty quick and once again these days life is awesome again. Best sex ever, neat job, webdev in high demand and - most importantly - I'm more resilient and prepared for the next slump and emotional downer.
I recommend stoicism as a life philosophy. Get's you though tough times very neatly and helps you focus on the real things. No religion needed.
My 2 cents.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
... than in realtiy." - Seneca
"You can make yourself miserable or you can make yourself happy. The amount of effort is the same." - Carlos Castaneda
Stoicism. Beats religion and any other philosophy any time, hands down.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
What are the side effects of anti-depressants? Suicide. Why are we over prescribing this and everything else in the US? People need to stop taking drugs if the side effects are DEATH.
Veterans are killing themselves in significant numbers.
Likely due to the persistent conflicts the US has participated in since Desert Storm kicked off in the 90's.
Coincidence? You decide
Yeah, I'm a cynic.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
If we try really hard, I'm sure we can get that up to 100%!
#DeleteFacebook
Also since 1999, movies and TV are so disgusting, miserable, and cynical. Everything is so dark, negative, and depressing. Vile people in dysfunctional relationships (personal, social, professional, or family). Everything's a mess, we're all fucked. The government exist only to screw us over. It's enough to drive anyone to suicide.
But those social justice wingnuts making the trash will never admit it, they've convinced themselves that everything the do is a magical force for positive social change.
In 1999 star trek was still a positive message about a utopian future, not the disgusting dark dystopia it is today.
I'm pretty sure some countries have laws were suicide is punishable by death.
#DeleteFacebook
From the results of your own link:
Analyses at the community level are significantly more likely to demonstrate lower rates of suicide among higher socio-economic areas than studies using larger areas of aggregation. Measures of area poverty and deprivation are most likely to be inversely associated with suicide rates and median income is least likely to be inversely associated with suicide rates. Analyses using measures of unemployment and education and occupation were equally likely to demonstrate inverse associations.
And the Conclusion:
Resources for suicide prevention should be targeted to high poverty/deprivation and high unemployment areas.
We've spent the last 50 years "deconstructing the pillars of society" that pretty much everyone adhered to up until then. As an engineer, I'm wondering if anyone ever checked to see what they were holding up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
#DeleteFacebook
This doesn't change the fact that clinical depression is the chief driver of suicide.
Most of us cling tenaciously to life, no matter how much things suck. We all have negative things happen to us; most of us do not react by taking to our beds or deciding that everything is hopeless. It's not the external event; it's the resilience against it. (A good popular work on this is Against Depression, by Peter Kramer.)
As others have pointed out, suicide rates were higher 90 years ago.
Stop trying to make everything about politics.
People should have the right to end their own life when they chose to. I think there comes a point where many people think 'I have had a full life, I am getting older, I don't want to deal with aches and pains, reduced mental capacity, the inability to do the things I enjoy. I want to go on my own terms.'. It doesn't have to be linked to depression- - it's just a decision based on a realization.
The division between the rich and poor, is without a question, worse than it was in 1999.
The rich are the one's offing themselves.
Make America Dead Again.
Some settling may occur during posting.
You should respect their wishes.
Obviously it's religion's jurisdiction at that point. But yes, that is Catholicism's position more or less.
So you found one case out of 40k and that should somehow be proof for why the rest of them commited suicide?
The wife and I were talking just the other day about how even people who are 'struggling' in TV shows seem to be able to afford wonderful New York apartments. The people in the dingy apartments are always the bad guys, or the people with alcohol issues, or whatever. Furthermore, these characters are always well dressed, even though the joke is they have a shitty job. People move away from their support structure in search of this image of the American dream, to more condensed places where proper lodging is even more unattainable. This is the cost.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
we'll see resources devoted to help
Cynically I don't just think you're right, I think the resources will be targeted to women too.
Kate Spade and Anthoney Bourdain committed suicide this week. Who is the next celebrity suicide?
Douglas Adams wrote for the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Radio Series (First) About this torture device called the Total Perspective Vortex. Which simply showed your place in the universe. Causing the victim to die a painful death, on realizing how insignificant they are in the perspective of the entire universe.
I expect a similar and much smaller scale effect is happening with access to the internet, and a flood of 24 hour news showing how tiny you are, and how little impact that you are doing to anything is depressing.
Back before all this or when it just started. You could be the big man in your town, the Sports Star, the business owner, the guy with a Masters or a Doctorate. Your society as relatively small, events outside you world were shown in small doses often censored to keep up with your sensibilities. Sure you may get called off to War, but you knew you part of the good guys. There are complex problems, we knew they were "Egg Heads" working on them and their solutions will fix things. But you knew your place in the world, chances are you are doing better then your parents, you have stuff that society says that you should have. You feel good about yourself.
Now being the local expert isn't a big deal, because anyone will google the answer, or watch the real pros play. Local news is mostly limited to the Weather and Traffic. All the problems of the world have half of the people blaming you/your ideals/your life style as the problem. The so called Experts show they don't have as a full grasp as you believed and can only do so much....
For me to find meaning in my life, I often need to cut myself off from the media. just because it is too much.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
It was something he ate.
Too soon?
Have gnu, will travel.
If you don't believe in God , what cause can you have for any real hope and why not off yourself when life becomes inconvenient.
It makes perfect sense that as a society when we stop believing in God and treat human life as nothing more important then any other animal life , people loose hope and start killing themselves, and others. If you don't think the rise in crime and school shootings are also related , think again. Most of the shooters were also suicidal as evidenced by there lack of any exit strategy yet having well planned entry. Suicide by cop and why not take some of the other who cause pain with you.
IF there is no God , what difference does any of it make, if your in pain, what reactions seems best, The conclusion is quite logically and fact based, even though for some reason people always posit mental illness. Of coarse the DSM list ( an overdeveloped sense of reality) as a cause of depression, so... there's that.
Of coarse that is one of the things I love about being a Catholic, there is no other philosophy in the world that allows you to make use of every suffering weather big or small. Nothing need be wasted and all life and all suffering has value. Of coarse that makes no sense unless you first believe, still, it is a way of life that brings me great joy in the face of what is beyond my control, even if it involves great suffering.
âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
The world has not only gotten quite a bit shittier in the last 20 years or so, but we've got the Internet now, which means you have orders of magnitude more sources and volume of information available at the click of a mouse button to show you how shitty the world is, so it's no big surprise that more people would fail their morale check and decide to check out early on life.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Anthony Bourdan
Environmentally conscious people... :)
[($)]
Bourdain
http://www.acetonestudio.com
That's why
I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
So now you have only 39998 cases left to explain then. I guess that they are all wealthy celebrities.
Relative wealth is much more important than absolute wealth when considering happiness. That is markedly worse.
"Because we should respect your neighbors." -- why? you are making an ascertaining without evidence or reason, AND assuming other people will agree with you irrationally.
Faith is a positive characteristic IF it is faith in what is TRUE , some people have faith that there are alian life forms ( which likely there are) some people also have faith they are common ( for which there is zero evidence for or against.)
There are however mountains of evidence for the existence of the supernatural and a preponderance of the evidence ,in my opinion, for the existence of the Judaeo-Christian God. No faith that is worth having , is a faith based on anything other then evidence. Most people have faith in many things , because faith is a belief you have based partially supported by fact and contains a reasonable element of conjecture based on that fact, which is one of the reasons it is non-sense to take exception to other people who have not have the advantage of seeing the evidence you have reviewed and of understanding in correctly.
On the other hand I will guarantee you you have faith in many things. Do atoms exists? unless you can do the experiment yourself to prove it or have seen the experiments with your own eyes, you are placing your faith in the words of others whom you trust who are have gathered and interpreted partial information from you.
One of the advantages of faith in God is that everyone is able to take direct actions and experience the evidence for themselves without the use of expensive equipment. That is why proving God exists and proving water exist are similar. We believe such things through experience. Have you read any scientific papers lately proving water exists?
âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
"I'm sure everyone believes they follow the TRUE path."
That may be , do you claim to be any different? It is non-sense at it's highest to claim you assert the truth that there is no truth.
"You follow a worm's religion. It is vitally important for you to try reading about Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Keep reading it until you understand what faith meant to Abraham." No I understand precisely what faith meant to Abraham.
He believed that God is the cause of existence itself, that if he willed it We would cease to exist or even be erased from time , with just a thought.
That God created all things and is the cause of what we call existence, or as stated later in the Pentateuch 'I am IAM'. He believed that because we are utterly dependent on God , we owe him every loyalty and that he will not fail to deliver what he prom sis because by his nature he cannot fail, nor promise what is untrue.
The relevant question is weather or not what he believed was true? A persons response to reality presupposes it's truth. IF existence and truth are more then simply abstract concepts , illusions without any real meaning , then we owe a proper response to that reality. A person can 'want' or dislike any aspect of what is true , but that will not change what is true, nor will it change the fact that improper response to reality will have negative consequences. That of coarse is part of the difficulty that arises among human beings How best to negotiate our differences in our perception and exposure to the evidence around us.
'Atoms exists because we can detect them.' -- no they most certainly do not. Atoms existed long before human beings climbed out of the slime of the earth ( or there would have been no slime) and will continue even if all human life is destroyed tomorrow. They exist because they 'are' it is our knowledge of them and our ability to gather data about them that has changes. Truth is independent of the existence of an observer.
'Faith on the other hand is a belief in an immutable, permanent, and unerring truth' -- you and I disagree on this definition.
let's look at the dictionary. http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi...
I am using definition 3. you seem to be merging definition 3 and 2.
Staying with definition 3, ANYTHING you believe in confidently is evidence of your specific faith.
What a persons believes can and should changes as they gather more information and grow. The relationship between faith and belief being that we 'have faith in what we believe'. What I believe and understand about God has changed over my lifetime, not because God has changed, but because I have. What I believe about my mother has changed over my lifetime as well, because both of us have changed AND because I have greater capability to understand then I once did. Faith is not static, every religion changes and adapts to it's specific environment, the only question is weather or not what they teach is true. You may disagree, but unless you have reviewed the evidence for yourself you are again putting your faith in someone else's data.
âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
You are mistaken if you had read the writing of Pope Francis Benedict or John Paul the 2nd you would realize I am stating thing that are basic mainstream catholic thought
âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
Thanks for completely missing my point ... But it is interesting that we had that second celebrity death right after this article was posted.
If the deaths were utterly random with NO specific explanations for them that could be formulated, you'd have a pretty even distribution of rich, middle income and poor people who committed suicide. So quite obviously, there's no need for me to explain 39998 cases to you.
I will say, I *love* how Slashdot readers are so quick to click that "Troll" moderation button when they aren't comfortable with something that's been said. I really think my original comment was pretty infused with hope and reason, compared to a lot of this sensationalist "sky is falling" stuff people are spouting. But that seems to come with the territory in recent times.
Well to be honest it was very easy to miss your point considering the first line of your post aka "rich celebrity just died so this have nothing to do with poor vs rich" is basically how that can be decoded. You then wrote some more meaningful text but I don't think any one read past that first line (I know I didn't until just now).
Oh and the moderation from some people are just crap unfortunately, I don't agree with this person so (s)he must be a troll!
Maybe if I RTFA, I'd know if that was taken into consideration, and this post would clearly be nonsense..
Even so, it's probably raised the average nonsense level of what appears here, so I'm probably OK.
There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.