There is a story in USA Today about suicide and American culture that is getting some play on Facebook (Americans are depressed and suicidal because something is wrong with our culture), and while I believe that the author is well-meaning, her analysis and conclusions are flawed in a deeply troubling way. Kirsten Powers is following up on a CDC study that identified a nearly 30% increase in suicide rates; she claims that this increase is due to American culture, noting that:
“we exist largely disconnected from our extended families, friends and communities — except in the shallow interactions of social media… we need to help people craft lives that are more meaningful and built on a firmer foundation than personal success”
I will gladly agree that deeper connections with our community are an important part of a rich and meaningful life. But there is no specific evidence from the CDC study that our culture is the root cause of the increase in suicide rates. I believe that actions taken under the leadership of the Republican Party are the most likely causes of this increase in American suicides.
(1) The War on Terror — The largest difference in the US population between 1999 and 2016 with respect to suicide is that 2.7 million service members were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Servicemen are 19% more likely to commit suicide than those who have not been in the military (and the rate is higher for those who have actually been in combat); for women, the suicide rate is 250% higher for those who have worn a military uniform when compared to their civilian peers (VA Suicide Statistics - September 2017). In 2014, veterans accounted for 18% of all US suicides, with the highest incidence of suicide by our youngest vets. Many American men and women who served are still paying the price for the falsehoods sold by the Republican Party that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and/or was involved in 9/11.
(2) Guns — As part of the debate over guns, some Republicans like to argue that somehow gun control is less important because the majority of gun deaths are suicides — over 20,000 per year. Providing easier access to guns has been central to Republican ideology and policy since 1999, and they have been successful in increasing gun sales by 83% since 1999 (see further elaboration in this article). A Harvard study found that
in states where guns were prevalent—as in Wyoming, where 63 percent of households reported owning guns—rates of suicide were higher. The inverse was also true: where gun ownership was less common, suicide rates were also lower.
And according to David Hemenway, of Harvard’s Injury Control Research Center:
“Studies show that most attempters act on impulse, in moments of panic or despair. Once the acute feelings ease, 90 percent do not go on to die by suicide.”
Take a look at the graphic depicting the incidence of increased suicides by state across the US at the top if this blog — note the strong correlation between states where gun ownership is heavy and/or increasing with the increased incidence of suicide. Or look at Nebraska, a rare exception in a sea of dark blue (meaning increased suicide rate) states — unsurprisingly, Nebraska is one of the few states where gun sales went down by 26% instead of increasing.
(3) Other factors (such as globalization and automation/increased deregulation/social services cuts/incarceration) — The US is not the only country where there has been an increase in the suicide rate, even from countries that do not necessarily share our culture. This is consistent with the idea that globalization and automation have led to problems particularly with older workers being either unemployed or underemployed, or losing work at jobs that carried adequate prestige. In the US, deregulation has continually shifted power from workers to corporations (along with the evolution of technology eroding the value of a wide range of jobs). Republican policies at the federal and particularly the state levels have gutted potential efforts to mitigate the impacts on workers of these changes. Those same Republicans have fought ruthlessly to prevent people in desperate straits from getting health care. And finally, the economic collapse of 2008 due to inadequate regulation of Wall Street compounded the burden. The CDC study identifies aspects of those who have committed suicide who all could have been impacted by Republican policies: drug use, prior incarceration, physical health problems, legal problems, and eviction/loss of houses.
I believe that Kristen Powers meant well and has sincere belief in the causes that she focuses on. However, if this increase in the suicide rate is due to the actions of the Republican Party, then those who enabled them should be morally responsible for the consequences of their actions.
