Ethics & Religion
Column #2,018
April 15, 2020
How To Reduce Suicide
By Mike McManus
Some 47,173 Americans killed themselves in 2017 according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. That figure is the highest for the
last 70 years with data.
The number of Americans who committed suicide soared 33% from 1999 to
2017. Today there are two suicides for every homicide. More people used
to die in auto accidents than by suicide. Now it is the reverse, with
twice as many killing themselves as die on highways.
Three groups are most vulnerable. First, women and girls between ages of
15 and 24 - who experienced the largest percentage increase - nearly
double - their suicide deaths of 2000.
What caused this jump? According to Jean Twenge, a social psychologist
at San Diego State University, "All signs point to the screen." Teens
who spend five or more hours per day online - are 71% more likely to
kill themselves than those who spent only an hour online.
The second most vulnerable group is very different - men between the
ages of 45 and 64 - who make up the largest number of suicides - 12,371
in 2017. Why? Men aren't considered emotionally vulnerable. However,
many men have found themselves economically superfluous, and have lost
their jobs. Divorce, non-marriage and the decline of religiosity are
factors. Their suicide rate is up 45% since 1999. Most of these suicides
involved guns - which are nearly always lethal.
The third major group of self-killers are men, aged 75 and over. While
their numbers are fewer than middle-aged men - only 3,347 - they have
the highest likelihood of suicide at 39.7 deaths per 100,000 people vs.
14.0 for the population as a whole. Why? Most are widowers who miss
their wives.
What can be done to reduce suicides?
First, recognize how common it is. About 1.3 million people attempted
suicide in a year, half of whom required medical attention in emergency
rooms. More young people die of suicide than die from cancer, AIDS,
heart disease, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic
lung disease - combined!
Second, gun laws need to be changed. Deaths in the Northeast, which has
stricter gun laws - are half that of the West, with no gun laws. I urge
passage of laws like those approved in Florida after Nicholas Cruz
killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The Florida
Legislature raised the age for gun purchase from 18 to 21 in February,
2018 and established a waiting period to allow for a thorough background
check of gun buyers. Bump Stocks were banned and potentially violent or
mentally disturbed people were prohibited from owning a gun. Ideally,
Congress should pass similar laws. Any state could follow Florida's
example.
Third, remove guns from the homes of any person at risk - and other
means of killing oneself such as an excessive number of sleeping pills.
Fourth, pastors, teachers and pastoral leaders need to know warning
signs that someone is at risk for suicide. A person who talks about
wanting to die or who expresses a feeling of hopelessness or of being
trapped or who is in unbearable pain - may be considering killing
themselves. Other danger signs: talking about being a burden to others,
or someone who has increased their use of drugs or alcohol, or is acting
anxious or agitated. They may behave recklessly, withdrawing or feeling
isolated. Some also show rage, talk about taking revenge or display
extreme mood change.
Fifth, suicide prevention must be led by people who have experienced the
agony of the suicide of a friend or relative or colleague. For example,
those who have answered 800,000 calls on the
Suicide Prevention Hotline
(800 273-8255) should help double the 161 local crisis centers and
provide a Preventing Suicide Toolkit to every high school.
Finally, physicians must take more responsibility. According to Kathy
Posner Gerstenhaber, a Columbia University psychiatry professor, half of
those who take their own lives - had met with their primary care
physicians in the month before they committed suicide! "We need to ask
about suicide the way we monitor blood pressure," Dr. Posner
Gerstenhaber asserts. The Lighthouse Project, which has a tag line,
"Identify risk. Prevent Suicide." It recommends that physicians ask such
questions as these: "Have you wished you were dead or wished you could
go to sleep and not wake up? Have you actually had any thoughts about
killing yourself? Have you done anything, started to do anything or
prepared to do anything to end your life?
We all must all become more sensitive to those at risk of suicide.
Learn More At:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
_________________________
Copyright (c) 2019 Michael J. McManus, President of Marriage Savers and
a syndicated columnist. To read past columns, go to
www.ethicsandreligion.comm. Hit
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