Justice
The Hidden Geography of America's Surging Suicide Rate
It's not just the recession. Rates of gun ownership also appear to be a major factor.
You probably saw the headlines late last week: suicides among middle-aged Americans appear to have surged over the past decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found the suicide rate for people aged 35 to 64 jumped 28 percent between 1999 and 2010, a troubling development by any measure. This means more Americans now die of suicide than of car accidents.
Given the nation's recent economic history, it's understandable that everyone is looking to define the relationship between suicides and the recession. The CDC report itself cites several studies that point to a connection between the two.