Title: The Link Between the Economy and Suicide Rates
Headings: The Link Between the State of the Economy and Suicide Rates
The Link Between the State of the Economy and Suicide Rates
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Content: Multiple factors usually precipitate suicide attempts; however, having a mental health condition or a history of suicidal behavior are strong risk factors. Major stressful life events, such as losing your job or your home, can also be risk factors. At the 2011 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, psychiatrists reviewed Japan's suicide rate during its severe economic downturn in the late 1990s. They hypothesized that if increased U.S. suicide rates due to the current economy approximated those in Japan, annual suicide deaths would increase by approximately 14,600. The psychiatrists noted that this analysis was not a prediction, just a warning that we need to be cognizant of the potential mental health affect of the economy, and to develop strategies at the local, regional, and country level to provide intervention and support to those who may be at risk. In 2009, the Chief Financial Officer at Freddie Mac, one of the key players in the recent financial crisis, committed suicide. At that time, a poll of Americans found that 61 percent felt the economy was causing stress in their lives; one-third said the stress level was considerable. Those more seriously affected by the economy were twice as likely to report high stress levels.