1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogelbaum here. Today's episode discusses suicide 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: and suicide prevention in the United States. If those aren't 4 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: topics that you're up for hearing about, go ahead and 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: skip this one, and hey, take care of yourself, okay. 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: Here in the United States, discussion around mental health, self harm, 7 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: and death hasn't always been a discussion as much as 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: a whisper or a glance away, but experts say it's 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: well past time to recognize that suicide in America is 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: both serious and solvable. For the article this episode is 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: based on How Stuff Works. Spoke with Jennifer Paine, the 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: director of the Women's Mood Disorders Center and an associate 13 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine 14 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: in Baltimore. She said, I think we need to be 15 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: having a national conversation. How stuff Works. Also spoke by 16 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: email with Deb Stone, a behavioral scientist in the Center 17 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: for Disease Control and Prevention or c d c S 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: Division of Violence Prevention and the lead author on a 19 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: sobering study on suicide. She said, suicide prevention requires a 20 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: comprehensive approach that addresses risk and protective factors at multiple levels, 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: including societal, community relationship, and individual levels. There's a role 22 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: for everyone in the community. The CDC's latest findings illuminate 23 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: the scope of the issue. Among the facts, the American 24 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 1: suicide rate increased thirty three between and twenty nineteen. More 25 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: than forty seven thousand, five hundred Americans died by suicide 26 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen, which is about one death every eleven minutes. 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: Another one point four million Americans attempted suicide. It's the 28 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: tenth leading cause of death in the United States and 29 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: the second leading cause of death for people ages ten 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: to thirty four. Mental health officials are quick to ask 31 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: the media to avoid using sensationalistic wording like skyrocketing or 32 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: epidemic to characterize the rise in suicides. Still, suicide is 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: a clear, serious, growing public health issue, and facing that 34 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: might be the first step in combating it. But facing 35 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: it means acknowledging something else too. Though researchers found that 36 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: more than half of those who die by suicide don't 37 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: have a diagnosed mental health condition, mental illness remains a 38 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: huge factor in this cause of death. It's not the 39 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: only factor, but it's an important one that needs to 40 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: be addressed. Pain from Johns, Hopkins said, I think there's 41 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: a stigma associated with psychiatric illness that really needs to 42 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: go away. It's one of the most common illnesses that 43 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: people have. People are reluctant to get treatment and seek 44 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: out care partially because of that stigma. If we got 45 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: rid of the stigma associated with psychiatric illness, then I 46 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: think that would result in people getting better mental health 47 00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: treatment and hopefully a lowering of the suicide rate. In addition, 48 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: and the CDC points to a variety of other possible 49 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: factors in the rising rates of suicide, including relationship problems 50 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: or loss of a loved one, substance misuse, physical health problems, 51 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: money woes, and employment stress. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 52 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: lists warning signs that may signal a person might be 53 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: contemplating suicide. They include talking about wanting to die or 54 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: kill themselves, looking for a way to kill themselves like 55 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: searching online or buying a gun, talking about feeling hopeless 56 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: or having no reason to live, talking about feeling trapped 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: or being in unbearable pain, talking about being a burden 58 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: to others. Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs, acting 59 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: anxious or agitated, behaving recklessly, sleeping too little or too much, 60 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: withdrawing or isolating themselves, showing rage or talking about seeking revenge, 61 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: and extreme mood swings. If you know someone exhibiting any 62 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: of those signs, experts say it's best to approach the 63 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: situation head on. Stone from the CDC said, one of 64 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: the simplest ways to determine this is to ask directly, 65 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: are you thinking about suicide? Asking the question won't put 66 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: the thought on someone's head who wasn't previously thinking about suicide, 67 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: and it can be a relief for the person to 68 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: open up about their struggles. Pain said, what you don't 69 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: want to do is play that don't ask, don't tell game. 70 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: You're not going to regret getting someone the appropriate care. 71 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: I think that if you really care about someone and 72 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: you're really concerned, then you do everything that you can 73 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: to get them to treatment, including insisting on it. On 74 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: a macro level. Slowing the rate of suicides falls largely 75 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: on the public health agencies, but they can't turn the tidle. 76 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:45,840 Speaker 1: Loon In Stone and fellow scientists with the CDC released 77 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: a document called Preventing suicide a technical package of policy, 78 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,280 Speaker 1: programs and practices. In it, they explain other sectors vital 79 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: to implementing this package include, but are not limited to, education, government, local, state, 80 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: and federal social services, health services, business, labor, justice, housing, media, 81 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: and organizations that comprise the civil society sector, such as 82 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: faith based organizations, youth serving organizations, foundations, and other non 83 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: governmental organizations. Collectively, these sectors can make a difference in 84 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: preventing suicide by impacting the various contexts and underlying risks 85 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: the contribute to suicide. The CDC Understones Technical Package has 86 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: instituted a seven steps strategy to help the different sectors 87 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: build programs to prevent suicide, including strengthening economic supports, strengthening 88 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: access and delivery of suicide care, creating protective environments, promoting connectedness, teaching, 89 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: coping and problem solving skills, identifying and supporting people at risk, 90 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: and lessening harms and preventing future risk. In the end, 91 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: solving such a complex public health issue will demand a 92 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: lot of work from a lot of people, and all 93 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: of them will have to be stubborn, unwilling to simply 94 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: glance away. If you are someone you know is having 95 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: thoughts about suicide in the United States. You can call 96 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at eight hundred to seven 97 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: three talk that's eight hundred to seven three eight to five, 98 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:24,239 Speaker 1: or you can google for resources in your area. Today's 99 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: episode is based on the article the US needs to 100 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: have an Ongoing Conversation about suicide on how stuffworks dot com, 101 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: written by John Donovan. Brain Stuff is production of by 102 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 1: Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot com, 103 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 1: and it is produced by Tyler Plain. Four. More podcasts 104 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio visit the i heart Radio app, 105 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.