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U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:11 am
by _DoubtingThomas
More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses last year alone, according to the CDC. That number marks a nearly 10 percent increase from 2016 and the highest ever in the United States for a single year.
At the same time, suicide rates have also steadily increased, according to the CDC, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. — and the second most common cause of death for people ages 10 to 34. That age range dovetails with the data on drug use, which showed people age 25 to 54 dying at higher rates than their older counterparts. In other words, younger adults have largely been hit hardest by these trends. "We're seeing the drop in life expectancy not because we're hitting a cap [for lifespans of] people in their 80s. We're seeing a drop in life expectancy because people are dying in their 20s [and] 30s," McHugh said.
But in general, says William Dietz of George Washington University, the main themes of the reports are "very disturbing" — partly because deaths from overdoses and suicides are likely linked. Both may be caused by social shifts in the U.S. that have caused people to become "less connected to each other in communities," he tells Harris.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/29/67184488 ... d-suicides.
I think the media needs to stop talking so much about George Bush and should focus on important issues.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:24 am
by _DoubtingThomas
But I do realize that life is precious and we need to enjoy it because there is probably no afterlife in heaven.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:54 pm
by _Jersey Girl
DoubtingThomas wrote:I think the media needs to stop talking so much about George Bush and should focus on important issues.
I think that the media can do both.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:26 am
by _ajax18
DoubtingThomas wrote:But I do realize that life is precious and we need to enjoy it because there is probably no afterlife in heaven.
If there were no afterlife, life would not be worth living for the vast majority of us. More often than not, the pain outweighs the pleasure. People get addicted to drugs because they have no reason to stop. They really do need some religious truth even if they can't fit into an organized religion.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:44 pm
by _MeDotOrg
I agree that suicide and life expectancy rates are the canaries in the coal mine with respect to the overall health of the society. I just don't understand the apparently causal relationship you seem to suggest that in remembering the life of George Bush we are taking time away from those issues.
Markers. Milestones. Honoring the virtues of service and sacrifice. We take time for those things, not because they distract from the issues at hand, but because those virtues are important in all facing all of the challenges that confront us.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:19 pm
by _DoubtingThomas
ajax18 wrote:DoubtingThomas wrote:But I do realize that life is precious and we need to enjoy it because there is probably no afterlife in heaven.
If there were no afterlife, life would not be worth living for the vast majority of us. More often than not, the pain outweighs the pleasure. People get addicted to drugs because they have no reason to stop. They really do need some religious truth even if they can't fit into an organized religion.
Okay, let me quote again
But in general, says William Dietz of George Washington University, the main themes of the reports are "very disturbing" — partly because deaths from overdoses and suicides are likely linked. Both may be caused by social shifts in the U.S. that have caused people to become "less connected to each other in communities," he tells Harris
I suspect many loners do believe there is a better life on the other side.
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:35 pm
by _Jersey Girl
Is anyone on this thread discussing mental illness?
Re: U.S. Life expectancy and Suicide
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:30 am
by _DoubtingThomas
Jersey Girl wrote:Is anyone on this thread discussing mental illness?
Is mental illness the number one cause?