[ad_1]
It was not a long time before Ron Linari's suicide attempt in 2009.
He recently bought a new condo after a successful college career, but he soon fell into depression when he suddenly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam. He started hearing voices in his head and finally made an attempt on his life.
"The free fall was not years, it was months," Linari said. "I have seen no way out."
The Linari story echoes thousands of others in the Commonwealth and the United States and illustrates why suicide prevention is difficult to in many ways because it's not always related to mental illness. Indeed, more than half – 54% – of people who die by suicide do not have a known mental illness, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And while federal, state, and private entities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to understand suicide and suicide prevention, suicide attempts and deaths continue to escalate.
In Massachusetts, 631 people committed suicide in 2016, or about 165 more deaths than in 1999, according to the CDC.
Nationwide suicide rates, meanwhile, have risen by 30 percent over the same period, and it is likely that the numbers are underestimated. Absence of specific evidence, such as a note describing his intentions, determining deaths by suicide may be difficult for medical examiners. In addition, many believe that some of the fatal overdoses occur on purpose, but are not considered suicides. In Massachusetts, there were 2,227 overdose deaths in 2016, according to the CDC.
"We probably think that 25 to 40% of overdoses can be suicides, but difficult to quantify," said Rev. David A. Lima. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death in the United States and, as the Patriot Ledger reported in a detailed report in March, Massachusetts residents are now more likely to die by suicide than "Suicide rates have increased in almost every state from 1999 to 2016," according to DCC.
The upward trend is clear.
Some health professionals say that one does not allocate enough money to answer the question, and that too much money is spent on generalized awareness campaigns, less effective than more direct awareness campaigns, known "Despite their popularity as a public health intervention, the effectiveness of public education and awareness campaigns to reduce suicidal behavior has rarely been evaluated. Systematically, "according to a 2005 study often cited in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Such public education and awareness campaigns, mainly on depression, have no detectable effect on the primary outcomes of decreasing suicidal acts or on intermediate measures, such as seeking treatment." or the increased use of antidepressants "
. , released a separate report in 2015 adopting a slightly different view, saying that awareness makes people more comfortable reporting suicides, which could contribute to the increase in the number of suicides every year.
Massachusetts is one of the few states to directly devote money to suicide prevention, allocating approximately $ 4 million annually to community-based programs and the United States. # 39; State. But the funding has not changed much since the influx during fiscal 2009, despite the relatively steady rise in suicides.
Disagreements about suicides and suicide prevention are largely divided as to how to deal with them. Historically, suicides have not been much discussed in public, which, according to many, perpetuates the problem. Nevertheless, talking too much about suicide, or glorifying it, can lead to an increase in suicides.
The latter is known as "suicide contagion," which is often raised as a concern when there is a series of similar suicides. Last year, a report by Wicked Local showed an increase in the number of suicides and accidental deaths on Massachusetts railways, forcing public transport agents to look for answers
. The deaths of international superstar DJ Avicii, celebrity designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef and TV advocate Anthony Bourdain, are worrying health professionals who fear reports and fanfares will no longer cause suicides. [19899002] and the CDC developed a set of guidelines on how suicides should be covered in a way that minimized the suicide contagion. The concerns raised almost three decades ago are similar to what is still being discussed today.
"All parties should understand that there are scientific reasons to fear that media coverage of suicide may contribute to suicide," according to the report.
There is evidence to suggest that the guidelines have been successful, and the CDC is still arguing this today. But the rise of the Internet, and the ability to share feelings, thoughts, and tributes on social media platforms, makes some of the original guidelines somewhat archaic.
"News coverage is less likely to contribute to the contagion of pain … are minimized," according to the CDC report. "Such actions may contribute to the contagion of suicide by suggesting to sensitive people that the society honors the suicidal behavior of the deceased, rather than crying the death of the person. "
The social media factor is particularly difficult for teens and young adults already confronted with the non-existent intimidation in a meadow world. -internet, according to Lima.
"I am 60 years old and I have been a victim of bullying at school. … I was called "Child with torn teeth, four eyes, skinny". But when I got home, I was in a safe place, "explained Lima." Now, with social media, texting and all the other things, bullying is 24/7 and the shame is global. "
The clergyman, who is also the executive minister of the Greater New Bedford Inter-Church Council, advocates for more community Communication and training related to suicide and suicide prevention must be The strongest approach for him, anecdotally speaking, is the consistent awareness, collaboration between sectors and the support of the community.
His efforts have been recognized by the state and seem to weigh on a problem where the answers are apparently insufficient The CDC recommends similar actions, including identifying and supporting people at risk, connecting these people to coordinated mental and physical health care and preventing the future risk of e suicide among those who have lost a friend or loved one to suicide.
resident, celebrated his 75th birthday in June. He considers himself lucky to be alive, but he also feels responsible for sharing his experience with others, especially those who may feel, as he has already done, that he is not sure. There is no way out.
"Finishing everything up is not a way out, it's just an end to your purpose and life," he said. "If you're in trouble and you feel suicidal, there's Help
Eli Sherman is an investigative and depth reporter at Wicked Local and GateHouse Media, e-mail it to [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
Source link
