Secrets of the Suicide Explosion
May 21, 2013, 11:16 AM | Updated: 11:16 am
New statistics show a disturbing, unexpected milestone: for the first time, more Americans died of suicide than traffic accidents. Among baby boomers, suicide soared at unprecedented rates: up 50 percent for males in just 20 years, with the middle-aged replacing teens and the elderly as most likely to kill themselves.
In terms of gun deaths, Americans are nearly twice as likely to die by their own hand than in murderous assaults by others. Dealing with this problem demands more attention to mental health issues – not more firearm regulations. Though official analysis never raised the issue, it’s also appropriate to question current drives for “assisted suicide.” If major segments of society seek to remove the stigma from taking your own life, it’s not surprising that more people – especially fashionable baby boomers – seize that dreadful choice.