“Investigating the traditional ‘deaths of despair,’ Ruhm finds that a one standard deviation increase in poor mental health increases drug deaths by about 2.5% and alcohol deaths by 3.4%; suicide deaths, surprisingly, increase by only about 0.6%. …large predicted increases in other causes: heart disease, lower respiratory disease, and homicides.” - IFS
988 – New Hotline Aims to Curb Suicide Epidemic
“The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national hotline that provides 24/7, free, and confidential mental health support to anyone in need. Within the first year, 5 million contacts were responded to.” - Breakpoint
Senior adults suffer greatest increase as U.S. suicides near 50,000
“The 8 percent rise in suicides among adults 65 and older was the highest driver in suicide deaths, the CDC said, with 10,433 deaths in that age group alone.” – BPNews
Regular church attendance lowers chances of 'deaths from despair': Harvard study
“… this study suggests that religious service attendance was associated with lower risk of deaths from despair among both men and women, accounting for a wide range of potential confounders (including other aspects of social integration)” - CPost
“An unprecedented loss of values and religion is leaving young Americans depressed, unhappy, and angry.”
“I began part one of ‘Why Are So Many Young People Unhappy?’ with data showing the apparently unprecedentedly high rate of unhappiness among young people in America…. I do believe that a loss of values and meaning are the two greatest sources of unhappiness.” - Dennis Prager