hi all

more grist for the information mills
aka our own brains
as well as the pienet brain
aka the list archives


two things jumped out at me here:


1. for every 'completed' suicide there are 16 'uncompleted' attempts

to my mind that is one heck of a lot of despair and hopelessness and pain
which NEED NOT BE
since the major cause of suicide is depression
which is CURABLE


2. denial and trivializing of the suffering involved by the ill ones is
still pervasive:
[of coure, ergo the cause for this initiative on the part of the us surgeon
general]
even in his OWN report:

catch the innuendo, non-quoted, in the sentence:
"Suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress that need
to be addressed, and not just a harmless bid for attention."


in the same way that pd has been dragged kicking and screaming
out of the awareness closet of denial and embarassment
over the past five years
it is now cd's turn
apparently

and not soon enough, in my humble parkie opinion

janet


--------------------------------------------------------------
The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent Suicide, 1999
At a Glance: Suicide in the United States
--------------------------------------------------------------

Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death for all Americans (up from
ninth in 1996) and the third leading cause of death for young people aged
15-24.

Suicide took the lives of 30,903 Americans in 1996 (10.8 per 100,000
population).

Suicides in that year accounted for only 1% of all deaths, compared with
32% from heart disease, 23% from cancer, and 7% from stroke—the top three
causes of death in the U.S.

More people die of suicide than from homicide. In 1996, there were three
suicides in the U.S. for every two homicides committed.

Suicide is a complex behavior usually caused by a combination of factors.
Research shows that almost all people who kill themselves have a
diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder or both, and that the
majority have depressive illness.

Studies indicate that the most promising way to prevent suicide and
suicidal behavior is through the early recognition and treatment of
depression and other psychiatric illnesses.

The highest suicide rates were for white men over 85, who had a rate of
65.3/100,000. However, suicide was not the leading cause of death for this
age group. Males are four times more likely to die of suicide than are
females.

However, females are more likely to attempt suicide than are males. In
1996, white males accounted for 73% of all suicides.

Together, white males and white females accounted for more than 90% of all
suicides in the United States.
However, during the period from 1979-1992, suicide rates for Native
Americans (a category that includes American Indians and Alaska Natives)
were about 1.5 times the rates for the general population.

There were a disproportionate number of suicides among young male Native
Americans during this period, as males 15-24 accounted for 64% of all
suicides by Native Americans.

Suicide rates are generally higher than the national average in the western
mountain states and lower in the eastern and Midwestern states.

Nearly 3 of every 5 suicides in 1996 (59%) were committed with a firearm,
while 79% of all firearm suicides are committed by white men.

There are an estimated 16 attempted suicides for each completed suicide.

The ratio is lower in women and youth and higher in men and the elderly.

Suicide attempts are expressions of extreme distress that need to be
addressed, and not just a harmless bid for attention.

A suicidal person should not be left alone and needs immediate mental
health treatment.


For more information, please contact the following offices:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
"http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/"
404-639-3286

Health Resources and Services Administration
"http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov"
301-443-1989

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Suicide Research Consortium
"http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/suicide.htm"
301-443-4536

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
"http://www.samhsa.gov"
301-443-8956

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health/Surgeon General
"http://www.surgeongeneral.gov"
202-690-7694

"http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calltoaction/fact1.htm"

janet paterson
53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd
tel: 613 256 8340 url: "http://www.geocities.com/janet313/"
email: "[log in to unmask]" smail: PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0
Canada