A newly released study by The American Journal of Public Health has confirmed that the suicide rates for some demographics do increase during economic downturns. Conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rates of suicides per 100,000 Americans — from 1928 to 2007 — were examined. The comprehensive study notes that during the 2001 recession, suicide rates rose 3 percent. The ebb and flow can be tracked using the economy as far back as the Great Depression — rising during bad years and falling during good years.
With more comprehensive data at hand, the new study found a correlation between the suicide rates and business cycles of young and middle-age Americans. Researchers noted that the correlation disappeared when the elderly and children were not included in the data. Certainly, the ills of a bad economy may not cause suicide attempts, but they can be considered factors.
Depression rates rose during the Great Depression. Smaller increases were documented during the oil embargo of the early 1970s and the double-dip recession of the early 1980s. In stark contrast, the suicide rate generally fell during periods when the economy was booming. “The findings suggest the potential to see a big increase in the rates during this current recession,” stated Feijun Luo, the lead author of the study.
Impossible to predict, suicide prevention programs have long held mixed results. This study gives the medical community a heightened knowledge base that includes more than known situational triggers — substance abuse, depression, family relationships — it also points to a specific group as being vulnerable — working age adults. More startling, “Once people age out of the work force, there seems to be no relationship between the business cycle and their vulnerability,” stated Dr. Curtis S. Florence, a co-author of the study.
