Latest Suicide Stories

White men most affected by economy, Wall Street volatility not a factor New evidence on the link between suicide and the economy shows that the monthly suicide rate in New York City from 1990 to 2006 was 29% higher at the economic low point in 1992 than at the peak of economic growth in 2000. The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy, the University of California San Francisco School of...

Research from the University of Warwick suggests suicide rates are much higher in protestant areas than catholic areas. Professor Sascha Becker from the University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Society (CAGE) has published his latest paper Knocking on Heaven’s Door? Protestantism and Suicide. The study investigates whether religion is an influence in the decision to commit suicide, above and beyond other matters that may play a role, such as the...

Mental health risk factors for suicides in the US Army, 2007-8 Suicides among US army personnel rose 80 per cent between 2004 and 2008, finds research by US Army Public Health Command and published online in Injury Prevention. Around 40% of these suicides might be associated with military events following US involvement in Iraq, say the authors. The US committed a substantial number of troops to Iraq, starting in 2003, and it continues to be involved in military operations in...

Love from family and friends offer most protection, while bullying causes highest risk What protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths from considering suicide and, conversely, what makes them most vulnerable to it? The question is of paramount concern because these youths are at least twice as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youths, prompting the national "It Gets Better Project" with encouraging video messages from such public figures as Lady Gaga and...

A new study has revealed the widening gap in suicide rates between Scotland and England & Wales due to a large extent to the number of young Scottish men taking their lives. The research, carried out by the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh and the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, examined suicide rates north and south of the border between 1960 and 2008. The team found that the suicide rate in both men and women was in fact lower in...

Researchers at The University of Manchester have for the first time shown a positive link between improvements in mental health services and a reduction in suicide rates. Their research is published in The Lancet today (Thursday) in a study by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, based at the University's Centre for Mental Health and Risk. Using nine national recommendations for safer services made by the National Confidential...

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "We are saddened to learn about the apparent suicide of Don Cornelius, creator of 'Soul Train.' Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family, friends, colleagues and fans. Sadly, suicide cuts short the lives of far too many people and takes an enormous toll on those left behind," said Robert Gebbia, executive Director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide is often mischaracterized as a response to a single...

U-M analysis of new data highlights risk factors that could be targeted by interventions Increased screening of pregnant women and new mothers for major depression and conflicts with intimate partners may help identify women at risk for suicide, a University of Michigan Health System-led analysis of federal data concludes. Only a small percentage of women who take their own lives are pregnant or have recently become mothers, but their frequent interactions with the health care system...

Thoughts about killing oneself and engaging in suicidal behavior may begin much younger than previously thought. While about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, new findings reveal that a significant proportion make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school. In a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, nearly 40 percent of young adults who said they had tried suicide said that they made their...

Prior to the 1984 passage of a uniform drinking-age limit of 21 years in the U.S., many states permitted the legal purchase of alcohol at age 18. These lower drinking ages have been associated with several adverse outcomes such as higher rates of suicide and homicide among youth. A new study of individuals who were legally permitted to drink before the age of 21 has found they remain at elevated risk for suicide and homicide as adults, particularly women born after 1960. Results will be...