Study: Suicide Rates Among Middle-Aged Adults Have Sharply Increased
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, suicide rates among adults ages 40-64 have increased about 40 percent since 1999, with a sharp rise since 2007.
Interestingly, suicide rates have remained stable for other age groups.
According to the study, the economic slump of 2007-2009 may have had harmful effects on middle-aged men and women, leading to feelings of failure and hopelessness since they are usually the breadwinners of the family.
The study states that 27 percent of workers aged 50-64 years experienced salary reductions during the recession, compared to just 19 percent of workers age 30 or younger and 22 percent of those ages 30-49.
The study, which used information from the National Violent Death Reporting System in 2014 to explore patterns in suicide situations and methods, found that circumstances varied significantly by age, with suicides related to job, financial, and legal problems most common among those aged 40–64 years.
The study says that between 2005 and 2010, the amount of suicides where these problems were present in the middle-aged group jumped from 32.9 percent to 37.5 percent, with a particularly sharp increase after 2007
However, the study says financial problems were not the leading circumstance for suicide, but personal circumstances, such as mental health problems, were the most frequent and were cited in 81 percent of all suicides among adults ages 40-64 between 2005 and 2010.
To read the full study, click here.