(INDIANAPOLIS) – Indiana’s suicide rate has gone up by 32{cfb84e016942dcf263d6b9a2a965f97a80c7fce71c1cd317fd9df76d1fc43e08} in the last 17 years:
The Centers for Disease Control say suicide has gone up in every state except Nevada, which had one of the highest suicide rates in the country already. In 44 states, the increase has been significant — Indiana’s jump marks the middle of the pack
The increase hasn’t been a sudden spike, but a steady rise. Among the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., suicide is one of only three that’s increasing. And the CDC says nearly half those who killed themselves had no known history of mental health issues.
Community Health Network mental health counselor Kimble Richardson says there’s still a stigma attached to depression and other mental health disorders which stops people from seeking the help they need, because they wrongly see their condition as a personal failure. He says suicide needs to be viewed as a preventable medical issue.
And Richardson says the rise of social media may feed the increase. While it’s possible to connect with help through social media, Richardson says it’s also made people more aware of suicides, and of ways of doing it.
The CDC finds there are multiple reasons people take their own lives, including depression, financial or relationship issues, and medical problems, with no one reason standing out. Richardson says it’s often the accumulation of multiple sources of stress, rather than a single devastating blow, which distorts people’s thinking and leads them to ponder suicide.
The CDC report was released a day before the death of chef and T-V travel personality Anthony Bourdain, and days after the suicide of designer Kate Spade.
The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-TALK.
Kate Spade (Photo: David Howells/Corbis via Getty Images)
