Middle-Aged Americans Committing Suicide at Unprecedented Rate
Story at-a-glance
Newly released statistics show that more Americans now commit
suicide than die in traffic accidents. The sharpest rise in
suicides over the past decade is seen among the middle-aged. The
suicide rate for men in their 50’s has risen by 50 percent, to
nearly 30 suicides per 100,000; among women between the ages of
60-64 the suicide rate rose by nearly 60 percent
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that antidepressants are no
more effective than a placebo, and in some case less effective
The National Institute of Mental Health has announced it will no
longer look to the DSM as the “gold standard” for categorizing
mental health problems. In an effort to improve and transform
psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, the Institute has launched
a new research project that will incorporate genetics, imaging,
cognitive science, and other information to lay the foundation
for a new classification system
SPECT imaging can help reveal brain dysfunction caused by head
trauma, toxic exposures, and/or a combination of poor lifestyle
habits, such as a poor diet and lack of exercise
Energy psychology is an advanced tool that can effectively
address some of the psychological short circuiting that occurs
in emotional illnesses. Other lifestyle strategies that can help
you optimize your mental health are included
By Dr. Mercola
Newly released statistics from the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) show that more Americans now commit
suicide than die in traffic accidents.1,
2,
3
Between 1999 and 2010, the suicide rate among American adults
ages 35-64 rose by more than 28 percent, to just under 18 deaths
per 100,000.
The sharpest rise in suicides is seen among the middle-aged,
suggesting there may be a link to the downturn in our economy,
which to some degree has affected most Americans over the past
decade. During the 1932 Great Depression, as many as 22 people
per 100,000 committed suicide.
The suicide rate for men in their 50’s has risen by 50
percent, to nearly 30 suicides per 100,000.
The suicide rate for middle-aged women is just over eight
deaths per 100,000. While not nearly as high as that for men,
suicide rates still increased with age among women, with the
largest increase seen among women between the ages of 60-64. In
this age group, suicide rates rose by nearly 60 percent in the
last decade.
According to the CDC:
“Prevalence of mechanisms of suicide changed from
1999 to 2010. Whereas firearm and poisoning suicide rates
increased significantly, suffocation (predominantly hanging)
suicide rates increased the most among men and women aged
35-64 years.
...Possible contributing factors for the rise in
suicide rates among middle-aged adults include the recent
economic downturn (historically, suicide rates tend to
correlate with business cycles, with higher rates observed
during times of economic hardship); a cohort effect, based
on evidence that the 'baby boomer' generation had unusually
high suicide rates during their adolescent years; and a rise
in intentional overdoses associated with the increase in
availability of prescription opioids.”
Antidepressants May Be Fueling the Problem
Sadly, the knee-jerk conventional treatment for depression
and suicidal tendencies is almost exclusively prescription
antidepressants. Every year, more than 253 million prescriptions
for antidepressants are filled in the United States, making them
the second most prescribed drug class in the United States
(second only to cholesterol-lowering drugs).4
But how effective are antidepressants in alleviating the
symptoms of depression?
Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that antidepressants are
no more effective than a placebo, and in some case less
effective. A study published in the January 2010 issue of JAMA
concluded there is little evidence that SSRIs (a popular group
of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft) have
any benefit to people with mild to moderate depression.5
The researchers stated:
"The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant
medication compared with placebo... may be minimal or
nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate
symptoms."
SSRIs were found to be 33 percent effective, just like a
sugar pill—but with far more adverse effects, including violence
and suicidal thoughts and actions.
Exercise actually outperforms antidepressants, but many
still overlook this option.
More and more studies are confirming that
antidepressants intensify violent thoughts and behaviors,
both suicidal and homicidal, especially among children. And,
since the late 1980s, there have been frequent reports of
increased violent behavior, including homicides and suicides,
among individuals taking antidepressant drugs.
Add to this a faltering economy and many literally feeling
like they’re “fighting for their livelihoods” and the safety of
their family, and the use of antidepressants may very well be
pushing people over the edge rather than keeping them
from it... It all depends on how you react to them.
Federal Institute for Mental Health Abandons Psychiatric 'Bible'
There may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon however, in
terms of psychiatric diagnosis and ultimate treatment. The
misuse of psychiatric drugs is in part due to the reliance on
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM)—the “bible” of psychiatry, containing all the diagnostic
codes for virtually every conceivable mental health problem and
personality quirk known to man at this point. There are many
problems with this reference bible. As stated by the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):6
“While DSM has been described as a 'Bible' for the
field, it is, at best, a dictionary, creating a set of
labels and defining each. The strength of each of the
editions of DSM has been “reliability” – each edition has
ensured that clinicians use the same terms in the same ways.
The weakness is its lack of validity.
Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease,
lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a
consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any
objective laboratory measure. In the rest of medicine, this
would be equivalent to creating diagnostic systems based on
the nature of chest pain or the quality of fever.
Indeed, symptom-based diagnosis, once common in other
areas of medicine, has been largely replaced in the past
half century as we have understood that symptoms alone
rarely indicate the best choice of treatment. Patients with
mental disorders deserve better.” [Emphasis mine]
At the end of April, the NIMH (which is responsible for
overseeing mental health research in the US, and funds more
research in this field than any other agency in the world)
announced it will no longer look to the DSM as the “gold
standard” for categorizing mental health problems.7
In an effort to improve and transform psychiatric diagnosis and
treatment, the Institute has launched the Research Domain
Criteria (RDoC) project, which will incorporate genetics,
imaging, cognitive science, and other information in order “to
lay the foundation for a new classification system.”
Will Psychiatric Transformation Miss the Mark Yet Again?
While this is a step in the right direction, I hope they make
the effort to go far enough... The NIMH admits that their
approach began with certain assumptions, some of which, I think,
may or may not be completely accurate in all cases. And if so,
then the most effective treatments may still be completely
overlooked. For example, one of the assumptions is that:
“Mental disorders are biological disorders involving
brain circuits that implicate specific domains of cognition,
emotion, or behavior.”
The assumption that all mental health problems are due to
biological dysfunction is to take too narrow a view, in my
opinion, because there’s also a spiritual and a
bioenergetic component—both
of which few psychiatrists bother to address. Also, by limiting
it to “biological disorders involving brain circuits” they may
completely miss the boat in terms of how nutrition affects your
mental health. Mounting research shows that your
gut health has a truly profound impact on your mental and
emotional states, so to say that the cause of mental disorders
is rooted in faulty brain circuits alone still seems rather
dogmatic and archaic.
We may in fact be complicating matters when we really should
be simplifying. There’s no doubt in my mind that proper
nutrition, optimal gut health and vitamin D levels, along with
regular exercise and an overall reduction in toxic exposures can
go an enormously long way toward curbing the trend of rising
mental health problems.
SPECT Imaging—An Invaluable New Tool for Psychiatry
That said, I’m not going to throw the baby out with the
bathwater just yet, as I believe there may be room for modern
diagnostic tools even within something as nebulous as mental
health. For example, last year I interviewed
Dr. Daniel Amen, a physician, board-certified psychiatrist,
and one of the foremost experts on brain imaging science and
brain plasticity. His work with SPECT imaging demonstrates how
it can be a remarkably useful tool for psychiatry, especially
more complicated cases.
Brain SPECT imaging is different from the anatomical MRI or
CT scans. SPECT measures blood flow and activity patterns. It
looks at how your brain works. (It's similar to positron
emission tomography (PET) scans, which looks at glucose
metabolism.) When using SPECT imaging, physicians look for three
things:
Areas of your brain that work well
Areas of your brain that are low in activity, and
Areas of your brain that are high in activity
The job then becomes balancing the different areas of your
brain. According to Dr. Amen, most cases of depression and
anxiety are symptoms of underlying brain dysfunction. For
example, depression can arise if brain activity is too low in
your frontal lobes. This inactivity means you cannot inhibit
your negative feelings. Depression can also be a symptom of
heightened or excessive activity in your frontal lobes, as this
leads to an inability to stop thinking the bad thoughts in your
head. A traumatic brain injury can also result in symptoms of
depression. In fact, according to Dr. Amen, this is very common.
However, he does not dismiss or overlook the impact of
lifestyle on brain function. Rather he readily admits that
some brain dysfunction is directly related to toxic exposures
and/or a combination of poor lifestyle habits, such as a poor
diet and lack of exercise. And, unlike most psychiatrists who
rely on drugs, Dr. Amen's treatments to restore and optimize
brain function focus on the four-pronged approach of diet,
exercise, nutritional supplements, and correcting negative
thought patterns.
This, I believe, is a beautiful example of how, by combining
the best of both worlds—modern diagnostic tools and science,
combined with natural common sense lifestyle changes—can truly
make a difference in people’s lives. While getting a SPECT scan
can be expensive, it may save you tons of money in the long run.
According to a recent study by Dr. Amen and his colleagues,
getting a SPECT scan will change what your doctor does 79
percent of the time.
""We have a new outcome study that we're publishing
on 500 consecutive patients that came to the Amen Clinics
who were complicated. After six months, 85 percent showed
significant improvements in their quality of life,” Dr.
Amen said.” We are very excited about our work. And we
have been teaching our colleagues about it for decades...
But it's horrifying what's happening overall in psychiatry.
I would be very cautious about seeing a psychiatrist that is
not gathering data on your brain before he or she puts you
on multiple medications."
The Rise of Energy Psychology
Many people avoid energy psychology as they believe it is an
alternative form of New Age spirituality, yet nothing could be
further from the truth. It is merely an advanced tool that can
effectively address some of the psychological short circuiting
that occurs in emotional illnesses. It is not any competition at
all with any religion but merely an effective resource you can
use with whatever spiritual belief you have.
My favorite technique for this is the
Emotional
Freedom Technique (EFT), which is the largest and most
popular version of energy psychology.
EFT was developed in the 1990s by Gary Craig, a Stanford
engineering graduate specializing in healing and
self-improvement. It’s akin to acupuncture, which is based on
the concept that a vital energy flows through your body along
invisible pathways known as meridians. EFT stimulates different
energy meridian points in your body by tapping them with your
fingertips, while simultaneously using custom-made verbal
affirmations. This can be done alone or under the supervision of
a qualified therapist. By doing so, you help your body eliminate
emotional “scarring” and reprogram the way your body responds to
emotional stressors.
While the following video will teach you how to do EFT, it is
VERY important to realize that self-treatment for serious mental
health issues is NOT recommended. For serious or complex issue
you need someone to guide you through the process as there is an
incredible art to this process and it typically takes years of
training to develop the skill to tap on deep-seated, significant
issues.
Research Backs the Use of EFT for Depression
I have been a fan of energy psychology for many years, having
witnessed its effectiveness in my medical practice and in my own
personal life. However, studies have been few and far between as
science has been trying to “catch up” with clinical experience.
That has finally started to change. Several studies have been
published in the last few years, showing just how safe and
effective EFT really is. For example, the following three
studies show remarkable progress in a very short amount of time
for people with a history of trauma:
A 2009 study8
of 16 institutionalized adolescent boys with histories of
physical or psychological abuse showed substantially
decreased intensity of traumatic memories after just ONE
session of EFT.
An EFT study9
involving 30 moderately to severely depressed college
students was conducted. The depressed students were given
four 90-minute EFT sessions. Students who received EFT
showed significantly less depression than the control group
when evaluated three weeks later.
In a study of 100 veterans with severe PTSD10
(Iraq Vets Stress Project),11
after just six one-hour EFT sessions, 90 percent of the
veterans had such a reduction in symptoms that they no
longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD; 60 percent no
longer met PTSD criteria after only three EFT sessions.
At the three-month follow-up, the gains remained stable,
suggesting lasting and potentially permanent resolution of
the problem.
Red Flags: Is Someone You Know Suicidal?
If someone close to you has recently endured a hardship, or
you have noticed a change in their behavior, how can you tell
when ordinary stress or sadness has progressed to a potentially
suicidal level? Besides straightforward or "sideways" comments
about not wanting to live any longer, some of the red flags that
a person has a high risk for self-harm include:
Acquiring a weapon
Hoarding medication
No plan for the future
Putting affairs in order
Making or changing a will
Giving away personal belongings
Mending grievances
Checking on insurance policies
Withdrawing from people
If you think someone is suicidal, do not leave him or her
alone. Most suicide attempts are expressions of extreme
distress, not harmless bids for attention. A person who appears
suicidal needs immediate professional help. Help the person to
seek immediate assistance from their doctor or the nearest
hospital emergency room, or call 911. Eliminate access to
firearms or other potential suicide aids, including unsupervised
access to medications.
Are You, or Someone You Know Currently Struggling With
Depression or Feeling Suicidal?
If you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of
suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a
toll-free number 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply
go to your nearest Hospital Emergency Department.
I know firsthand that depression and suicide is devastating.
It takes a toll on the healthiest of families and can destroy
lifelong friendships. Few things are harder in life than losing
someone you love, especially to suicide.
It's impossible to impart the will to live to somebody who no
longer possesses it. No amount of logic, reasoning, or reminders
about all they have to live for will put a smile back on the
face of a loved one who is seriously contemplating suicide.
If you are currently the one struggling in a dark place,
realize that oftentimes you cannot change your circumstances.
You can, however, change your response to them. I encourage you
to be balanced in your life. Don't ignore your body's warning
signs that something needs to change. Sometimes people are so
busy taking care of everybody else that they lose sight of
taking care of themselves. Know that it’s okay to take care of
yourself. Putting yourself last is a serious mistake, as you
need to find ways to “refill” and replenish your own energy
stores or else you’ll eventually burn out.
There really are no easy answers—especially when the troubles
are related to crumbling finances, joblessness, or tumultuous
family- and living situations. So many seem to be suffering
these days; emotional and mental pain really is epidemic.
Knowing that others are suffering as well can be helpful to a
degree, but overall, it may only add to the sum total of ones
misery and adding to the feeling that there’s no hope... One of
the most effective ways of being supportive is perhaps to simply
allow yourself to reach out and try to truly connect
with the person who is suffering—even if it’s a virtual
stranger. Sometimes, having someone look you in the eye and
asking you how you are, and really meaning it, can be
the lifeline needed in that moment...
Long-Term Strategies for Improving Your Mental Health
You can't make long-term plans for lifestyle changes when you
are in a crisis, so clearly, the following recommendations are
not meant to get you out of an acute situation. Rather, I invite
you to take these lifestyle recommendations to heart as a
preventive measure, before depression and other troubles
set in. Optimizing your health may actually be one of the most
important things you can do to help you make it safely through
financially hard times, as faltering health in combination with
poverty can lead even the most level-headed people to the limit
of what they can endure.
My top tips to support positive mental health are as follows:
Energy psychology is one of the most powerful tools for
resolving emotional issues—specifically a technique called
EFT. For serious
problems like depression you do NOT want to perform EFT on
yourself, you need to seek guidance from a skilled
professional,12
ideally someone who is also trained in conventional methods.
The effectiveness of any energy psychology technique will be
significantly improved if you combine it with the tips that
follow.
Dramatically decrease your consumption of sugar
(particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods. (In
addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods
also contain a variety of additives that can affect your
brain function and mental state, especially artificial
sweeteners.)
Adequate vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can
contribute to depression and affects one in four people.
Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through regular
sun exposure. Vitamin D is very important for your mood. One
study found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D
were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had
normal levels.
The best way to get vitamin D is through exposure to
SUNSHINE, not swallowing a capsule. Remember, SAD (Seasonal
Affective Disorder) is a type of depression that we know is
related to sunshine deficiency, so it would make sense that the
perfect way to optimize your vitamin D is through sun exposure,
or a safe tanning bed if you don't have regular access to the
sun.
Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats.
Omega-3 fats are crucial for optimal brain function and
mental health, and most people don't get enough from diet
alone. So make sure you take a high-quality omega-3 fat,
such as krill oil.
Evaluate your salt intake. Sodium deficiency actually
creates symptoms that are very much like those of
depression. Make sure you do NOT use processed salt (regular
table salt) however. You'll want to use an all natural,
unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more
than 80 different micronutrients.
Adequate daily exercise. Exercise is one of the
best-kept secrets to preventing and treating depression.
Make sure your cholesterol levels aren’t too low for
optimal mental health. I have been educating the public
about the underreported, adverse effects associated with
lowering cholesterol through drugs like statins for many
years, but what many still do not know is that low
cholesterol is linked to dramatically increased rates
of suicide, as well as aggression towards others.
This increased expression of violence towards self and
others may be due to the fact that low membrane cholesterol
decreases the number of serotonin receptors in the brain
(which is approximately 30 percent cholesterol by weight).
Lower serum cholesterol concentrations therefore may
contribute to decreasing brain serotonin, which not only
contributes to suicidal-associated depression, but prevents
the suppression of aggressive behavior and violence towards
self and others.13