A National Institute for Mental Health in England report reveals particular progress in cutting suicides among young men.
The three-year average was 8.3 suicides per 100,000 population in 2004-06, down from 8.5 in the previous three years.
The article was brief and unclear which leaves me wondering what England is doing right.
- Hindsight is always 20/20. Dr. Delia Chiaramonte of the Baltimore Examiner has a post on her blog about depression in older people. I’d like to think that if I read her post 2 months ago, a light bulb would have gone off in my head and my husband and I could have done something to take care of his grandfather. However, what likely would have happened is that I’d think, “Oh, how sad. I hope those old people get the help they need.” Chiaramonte writes:
“Sure, Grandpa gets a little cranky and blue sometimes, but he’d never
do anything stupid”, you might think. Wrong. Elderly people account
for 13% of the US population, but make up nearly 24% of completed
suicides. Older men are the most at risk with a rate of 29 per 100,000
people.…
Does this sound like anyone you know?
More than you know, Dr. Chiaramonte. More than you know.
- The Brady Blog reports that suicide by firearms in youths (ages 15–24) is highest in Switzerland. The European Alliance Against Depression notes that the high rate is directly attributable to “liberal Swiss gun laws and the easy availability of weapons.” The blog also notes:
According to the 2007 Small Arms Survey, the United States had about 90 firearms per 100 people – the highest ratio in the world – followed by Yemen, Finland, Switzerland and Iraq.
Over half of all suicides in the United States – 52% – were committed with firearms in 2005, according to the most recent CDC data available.
Gun control: good or bad? Discuss amongst yourselves.
depression introspection 