Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. Roughly 47,000 people died last year or about one in every 11 minutes from suicide.
According to a report from last month, the rate of suicides has increased by nearly 31% in the last 20 years.
Dr. J. Grayson Grau, an attending psychiatrist at the Medical Center in Bowling Green, said there are a variety of reasons that could contribute to the increase, including having uncertainties happen in life, such as the Coronavirus pandemic that has been going on since 2020.
To help stop the spread during the start of the pandemic, many people started staying home and going out less which resulted in isolation from others for many people.
Dr. Grau said one of the things that is known about suicide rates is they are higher in areas where there is less social contact, like not going to work, not going to church, and engaging in other social types of activities.
He also added that it could be argued that staying home, could give someone an opportunity to become closer to those around them.
Another factor in the increase in suicide rates was access to firearms, specifically in regard to men. A lot of that goes back to access to means lethality. It is found that 50% or greater of suicides is related to firearms and that is generally a male-dominated statistic.
Some of the signs you can look for in your loved ones include changes in behavior, lack of interest, lack of motivation, and more, all of which Dr. Grau says are indicators of underlying depression. He said the classic is the person who starts giving away things, the person who says I don’t need this anymore, and that is not in and of itself an indicator of suicide. But, if someone is giving away their prized possessions that is an area to be especially aware of.
If you, or someone you know, are in a crisis or need help you can call or text the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
Source: WBKO
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