Kate & Anthony – RIP

He was 61. She was 56. They died days apart, two well-known and very popular cultural icons, each

battling depression. Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Suicide. What a huge waste. They were famous, rich and successful. Didn’t seem to matter. Depression doesn’t discriminate. But the world noticed.

What the world doesn’t notice, what slips by us every day are those who take their own lives, impacting only those in their immediate world, family, friends, employers, and acquaintances. What is astounding is the acceleration of suicides in the United States, once the land of upward mobility and the American Dream – now both dead. The uneasiness that hovers around all of us, from income inequality for many to a pressure to succeed that doesn’t stop for others, bombarded by information and demands… accelerated society.

“Suicide rates increased by 25% across the United States over nearly two decades ending in 2016, according to research published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-five states experienced a rise in suicides by more than 30%, the government report finds… More than half of those who died by suicide had not been diagnosed with a mental health condition, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC.

“‘These findings are disturbing. Suicide is one of the top 10 causes of death in the US right now, and it's one of three causes that is actually increasing recently, so we do consider it a public health problem -- and something that is all around us,’ Schuchat said. The other two top 10 causes of death that are on the rise are Alzheimer's disease and drug overdoses, she noted… In 2016 alone, about 45,000 lives were lost to suicide… ‘Our data show that the problem is getting worse,’ Schuchat said.” CNN.com, June 7^th. Getting worse?!

The precis to the CDC report, released on June 7^th, reads: “Suicide is a leading cause of death in the US. Suicide rates increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016. Mental health conditions are often seen as the cause of suicide, but suicide is rarely caused by any single factor. In fact, many people who die by suicide are not known to have a diagnosed mental health condition at the time of death. Other problems often contribute to suicide, such as those related to relationships, substance use, physical health, and job, money, legal, or housing stress. Making sure government, public health, healthcare, employers, education, the media and community organizations are working together is important for preventing suicide. Public health departments can bring together these partners to focus on comprehensive state and community efforts with the greatest likelihood of preventing suicide.” 

And it’s not as if obvious mental illness is always present. Suicide for very private people may lie deep below their observable surface, sometimes triggered by a moment of extreme feeling. The CDC tells us: “More than half [54%] of people who died by suicide did not have a known mental health condition.” Yet suicide has reached epidemic proportions.

The CDC chart below shows how widespread the increases are, but unsurprisingly, the highest gains are in rust belt areas, areas with high opioid/fentanyl addiction rates (usually associated with new and chronic unemployment) and states involved in highly volatile resource extraction, a disproportionate set of venues where populism has taken the firmest roots.

High school students. College students. Young adults. Mid-level adults. Middle-aged and elderly adults. Sick. Healthy. Bullied. Pressured. Hopeless. The reasons are all over the map according to the CDC:

The only consistency among suicide victims in the United States is that the number one means of death is a gunshot. Suffocation and poisoning are distant second and third choices, respectively.

For all of us, the CDC tells us to look for telltale signs of despondency and then help the relevant individual get the love, support and the professional care they need. Fast.

Know the 12 Suicide WARNING SIGNS

·         Feeling like a burden

·         Being isolated

·         Increased anxiety

·         Feeling trapped or in unbearable pain

·         Increased substance use

·         Looking for a way to access lethal means

·         Increased anger or rage

·         Extreme mood swings

·         Expressing hopelessness

·         Sleeping too little or too much

·         Talking or posting about wanting to die

·         Making plans for suicide

Please do not ignore this warning signs!

I’m Peter Dekom, and I don’t know if any of this blog will help anybody, but I had to start somewhere.