Reuters (9/13, Seaman) reports, “Young adults with low levels of education and people with mental health disorders bore the greatest burden of a recent increase in suicide attempts in the US,” researchers concluded.
HealthDay (9/13, Dotinga) reports that after examining “surveys of over 69,000 US adults taken from 2004-2005 and 2012-2013,” then adjusting the data for confounding factors, investigators found that “the risk of suicide attempts was ‘significantly higher’ among certain groups, including: those aged 21 to 34 (compared to those 65 and up); those with only a high school education (compared to college grads); and those with antisocial, anxiety and depressive disorders (compared to others).” The findings were published online Sept. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Healio (9/13, Oldt) reports the author of an accompanying editorial “reflected on the public health impact” of the study’s findings, writing, “Given the cumulative frequency of family, legal and financial problems, it behooves us to look beyond the walls of our clinics and offices to engage vulnerable individuals and families in diverse settings such as courts and jails, social service agencies, and perhaps the streets long before they have become ‘suicidal.’” Also covering the story are Medscape (9/13, Brooks) and Psychiatric News (9/13).
Related Links:
— “U.S. suicide attempts up most among younger adults, less educated,” Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters, September 13, 2017.