CDC Says Kill Yourself

First it was cannibalism, and now this:

"Rate of suicide jumps among baby boomers; Tough economy access to opioids may be factors" by Tara Parker-Pope  |  New York Times, May 03, 2013

NEW YORK — Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers could be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm.

They don't just make the kids go nuts.

More people die of suicide than in car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the findings in the May 3 issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides.

Suicide has been viewed as a problem of teenagers and the elderly, and the surge in suicide rates among middle-aged Americans is surprising....

Is it? To whom?

The most pronounced increases were seen among men in their 50s, a group in which suicide rates jumped by nearly 50 percent, to about 30 per 100,000. For women, the largest increase was seen in those ages 60 to 64.

While suicide rates can be notoriously difficult to interpret, CDC and academic researchers were confident the data documented an increase in suicide deaths and not a statistical anomaly. While reporting of suicides is not always consistent, the current numbers are, if anything, too low.

“It’s vastly underreported,” said Julie Phillips, an associate sociology professor at Rutgers University. “We know we’re not counting all suicides.”

And then there are all those cases reported as suicides that really are not.

The reasons for suicide are often complex, and officials and researchers acknowledge that no one can explain with certainty what is behind the rise. CDC officials cited explanations including....

The rise in suicides might also stem from the economic downturn. Suicide rates rise during times of financial stress and economic setbacks.

“The increase does coincide with a decrease in financial standing for a lot of families,’’ the CDC’s deputy director, Ileana Arias, said.

Another factor may be the availability of opioids like OxyContin and oxycodone, which can be deadly in large doses.

Although most suicides are carried out using a firearm, there was a marked increase in poisoning deaths and hangings....

Arias noted that the higher suicide rates might be due to life and financial circumstances unique to the baby boomer generation. Men and women in that age group often cope with the stress of caring for aging parents while still providing financial and emotional support to adult children.

As if that never happened before in all history. 

How many times can I type how tired I am of the AmeriKan media shit shovel?

“Their lives are configured a little differently ,” Arias said. “It may not be that they are more sensitive or that they have a predisposition to suicide, but that they may be dealing with more.”

Maybe it's the pharmaceuticals.

Preliminary research at Rutgers suggests the risk for suicide is unlikely to abate for future generations. Changes in marriage, social isolation, and family roles mean many of the pressures faced by baby boomers will continue, Phillips said.

“The boomers had great expectations for what their life might look like, but I think perhaps it hasn’t panned out that way,” she said. “All these conditions the boomers are facing, future cohorts are going to be facing many of these conditions as well.”

You can thank the bankers and money junkies for that.

Nancy Berliner, a Boston historian, lost her 58-year-old husband to suicide nearly two years ago. While the reasons for his suicide were complex, she would like to see more attention paid to prevention and support for family members who lose someone to suicide.

“One suicide can inspire other people, unfortunately, to view suicide as an option,” Berliner said. “It’s important that society becomes more comfortable with discussing it. Then the people left behind will not have this stigma.”

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Related: photo front-page

"Sergeant Paolo Ficara greeted his daughter as some 130 members of the 972d Military Police Company of the Massachusetts National Guard arrived at Camp Curtis Guild in Reading on Thursday"

I'm glad they made it back. 

"Army ‘stand down’ focuses day on suicide training" by Pauline Jelinek  |  Associated Press, September 27, 2012

WASHINGTON — Suicidal behavior in the military is thought to be related to cumulative stress from combat duty as troops fought two simultaneous wars over the past decade. It also may be linked to a range of other pressures such as marital and financial problems and health issues.

Still, military and defense leaders have been puzzled by the rise after years of working to blunt the problem. So far this year the number of suicides in the military has surged beyond expectations.

Suicides also are rising in the civilian population, officials said.

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"Military suicides reach record 349 in 2012" Associated Press, January 15, 2013

WASHINGTON — Suicides in the US military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private researchers predict the dark trend will worsen this year.

The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force....

295 Americans died in Afghanistan last year, by the AP’s count....

It came as a surprise to many that the numbers resumed an upward climb this year, given that US military involvement in Iraq is over and the Obama administration is taking steps to wind down the war in Afghanistan....

I suppose the dreams and visions of the horrible things they did in service to a lie finally got to them.

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"Veteran suicides exceed VA estimates" by Kevin Freking  |  Associated Press, February 02, 2013

WASHINGTON — The number of veterans who commit suicide each day is more than 20 percent higher than the Department of Veterans Affairs previously estimated, but the problem doesn’t appear to be getting worse for veterans compared with the rest of the country, according to a VA study released Friday.

Oh, good, it's not getting any worse and will be improving soon so we can forget all about it.

Indeed, the overall percentage of suicides by veterans has declined in recent years. VA researchers say the trend suggests that efforts to reduce suicide among veterans may be having an effect.

And what were we told above less than a month prior? 

Un-f***ing-believable.

About 22 veterans committed suicide each day in 2010. Previous estimates from the VA put the number at 18.

While much attention has been paid to suicides by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, the report indicates the problem is worse among older veterans. About 70 percent of veterans who commit suicide are over age 50.

But percentages are declining, blah, blah, blah, blah!!!!

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Also see:

Holocaust survivor unites with family of benefactor 
Suffolk University play tells stories of student veterans
Suffolk University to stress career learning
Advocates for Boston youths work together to weave safety net to prevent violence

Drive launched to open war veterans museum in D.C.

More than 6,600 US soldiers killed since 9/11 in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Related: Victims of Vietnam