May 022013
No doubt this is mostly smart people getting sick to death of paralytic politics.
From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent, to 17.6 deaths per 100,000 population, up from 13.7. Although suicide rates are growing among both middle-age men and women, far more men take their own lives. The suicide rate for middle-age men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000.
These are sad numbers. I wonder if sudden financial stresses are part of the motivation. Has anyone looked at rates of change in suicides at other times of extreme economic inequality?
Rosalie, That would be a fascinating statistic if I could find it. Good suggestion. I’ll look around,