[I]t's not clear what might be causing the rising suicide rates among middle-aged whites. "We need to study the individual people who have committed suicide and see what were their living circumstances. Were they depressed, was this impulsive? A lot more specific information is needed," she said.For more information on suicide please see our Briefing Paper, SUICIDE: ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAILING TO TREAT SEVERE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Suicide Rate Increases
A new study found that suicide rates are increasing. Researchers found that from 1999 to 2005, the overall suicide rate in the United States rose 0.7 percent. However, among middle-aged white women, the annual increase was 3.9 percent; among middle-aged white men it was 2.7 percent. The report did not explain why there was such an increase among these populations. According to Susan P. Baker, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,