Recession Induced Suicides?

I shouldn't be writing about suicides on Christmas Day but I am
stunned by what I found out during the last three days...

It started off when Arthur, first son, called me from Oceanside,
California three days ago. He had said, in  San Diego there about three suicides mentioned on television about every four days. It made me so sad to hear this.

Here in Las Vegas three days ago, it was reported 300 residential eviction notices are given out each and every day in this city.

One Las Vegas female attorney on this same television show said, "I work with people who are losing their homes due to  foreclosure... among my clients 29 have committed suicide due to either losing their homes and or foreclosure."

Then the newscast flashed to a Las Vegas house. In this house a man
knew the constable was on the way to give him a foreclosure notice.
The man  shot himself in the head just before the constable arrived!
In another scenario a scribbled, penciled note on plain paper... a man
had written, "I am sorry we have to do this but we do"... and he
then stabbed his wife, his son and shot himself in the head due to
financial troubles.

Another Las Vegas man with financial woes, drove his wife, and son to an area about two miles from where they lived. He then shot his
wife and son in their car and turned the gun on himself.

In other words, how many thousands of more suicides are we not
hearing about where people have taken this way out???

It's got to be a huge number… and I am certain Las Vegas is mostly
trying to keep these various suicides under wraps.

Arthur also has told me he sees cars with out-of-state license
plates arriving in Oceanside, California all the time. People are
relocating to Southern California trying to find work... when
there is no work. Times are really and truly tough these days.
I just feel  so sad for these people there are no words for it.

In any event in spite of all the bad news, I hope you and  your son enjoy a Merry Christmas.

Hugs,  Judy

The ongoing economic meltdown has had a devastating effect on American families. With double-digit unemployment still lingering, companies cutting corners in every which way, salary cuts and foreclosures continuing at a rapid pace, not to mention vanishing nest eggs, anxiety is at an all-time high.

Now, researchers are starting to wonder if the ongoing recession is beginning to trigger a spike in suicide rates. Considering that the unemployed are two to three times more likely to commit suicide, with the risk rising the longer you are unemployed, it’s not surprising to learn that areas like Macomb County, Mich., where  the official unemployment is at 13.7 percent, saw an almost 40 percent rise in suicides last year, according to The Washington Independent.

In online forums such as Unemployed-Friends, the topic of suicide comes up often, with posters sharing stories of the unemployed, underwater on their mortgages or facing repossession of their cars and furniture saying they can’t take it anymore. If the tales (some apocryphal) are true, they wouldn’t be that surprising. Suicides rose about 20 percent during the Great Depression and while joblessness does not cause suicide – feelings of depression, hopelessness, substance abuse and emotional struggles do.

Americans aren’t alone in this disturbing trend, with Ireland reporting a 25 percent rise in suicides last year and Japan reporting that one in five citizens contemplated suicide as the recession in that country deepened.

And remember that the actual unemployment figures are much higher than reported because once someone drops of the unemployment rolls, quits looking for work or accepts under-employment they are not longer counted.  Actual U.S. unemployment is closer to between 21 or 22 percent’ between 8.5 and 9.5 as officially reported.

This trend and studies reinforcing the obvious have been written about beginning in 2009 and 2010 but is somehow being shoved under the rug or ignored by the media.  After all it wouldn’t look good for Obama’;s re-election!

Related:

No Christmas for Millions of American Families This Year

Health Hazards of the Holiday Season

Bipolar Disorder: What Is It?

Most Important Risk is Suicide

Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depressive illness or manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by wide mood swings from high (manic) to low (depressed).

Periods of high or irritable moods are called "manic" episodes. The person becomes very active, but in a scattered and unproductive way, sometimes with painful or embarrassing consequences. Examples are spending more money than is wise or getting involved in sexual adventures that are regretted later. A person in a manic state is full of energy or very irritable, may sleep far less than normal, and may dream up grand plans that could never be carried out. The person may develop thinking that is out of step with reality — psychotic symptoms — such as false beliefs (delusions) or false perceptions (hallucinations). During manic periods, a person may run into trouble with the law. If a person has milder symptoms of mania and does not have psychotic symptoms, it is called a "hypomanic" episode.

Bipolar disorder is now divided into two subtypes (bipolar I and bipolar II). Bipolar I disorder is the classic form where a person has had at least one manic episode. In bipolar II disorder, the person has never had a manic episode, but has had at least one hypomanic episode and at least one period of severe depression. Bipolar II disorder may be more common than bipolar I. A third disorder, closely related to bipolar disorder, is cyclothymia — people with this disorder fluctuate between hypomania and mild or moderate depression.

The vast majority of people who have manic episodes also experience periods of depression. If manic and depressive symptoms overlap for a period, it is called a "mixed" episode. In some people, moods alternate rapidly or it is difficult to tell which mood — depression or mania — is more prominent.

People who have one manic episode most likely will have others if they do not seek treatment. The illness tends to run in families. Unlike depression, in which women are more frequently diagnosed, bipolar disorder happens nearly equally in men and women. Bipolar I and II disorders occur in up to 4% of the population.

The most important risk of this illness is the risk of suicide. People who have bipolar disorder are also more likely to abuse alcohol or other substances.

Source:  Everyday Health