Health and wellness information for retired military personnel and their families.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Dr. Clem's Health Blog:
Suicide
*Suicide is
the eleventh cause of death in the U.S..
*At least thirty
six thousand people kill themselves every year
*Middle-aged
people have higher suicide risk than young people.
*Men have
four times the suicide rate as women.
*According to
the Centers for Disease Control, ninety four people die by suicide every day.
*There are
twice as many suicide deaths weekly in U.S. compared to homicide deaths.
*For every suicide, there
are ten suicide attempts.
*American
Indian and Alaskan Natives are the highest risk groups.
*Men
more successfully kill themselves, but more women make the attempt. People
with no family or friends are vulnerable.
*Most depressed
people are not suicidal, but anyone depressed
can become suicidal
Depression, psychiatric illness, and substance
abuse play a role in more than ninety percent of suicides.
Causes:
*Depression
and suffering with a belief that escape is hopeless. "Everyone would be
better off without me."
*Impulsive use of drugs and alcohol.
*Crying out for help and not knowing
how to get it.
*A desire to die because of terminal illness with no hope of remission.
*Hopelessness,
impulsiveness, social isolation, and family/financial loss.
A suicide gesture shows desire to commit suicide. It represents a
goal to influence someone. Most successful suicides follow a history of
previous attempts.
Conclusion: My brother, Ralph,
killed himself the day after Labor Day. He had lost his job. He is the man in
the middle of the above picture.
For comments or questions, contact
Dr. Clem at clementhanson.blogspot.com.
Sources: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fighting-fear/201208/determining-suicide-risk-part-1 and http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/index.html
For comments or questions, contact
Dr. Clem at clementhanson.blogspot.com.
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*For every suicide, there are ten suicide attempts.
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