Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More People Died In Gun-Related Suicides, Violence In 2021 Than 2020
The New York Times: Gun-Related Suicides And Killings Continued To Rise In 2021, C.D.C. Reports
Homicides and suicides involving guns, which soared in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, continued rising in 2021, reaching the highest rates in three decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. Firearms caused 47,286 homicide and suicide deaths in 2021, up from 43,675 in 2020, according to the agency’s research, which is based on provisional data. Rates of gun-related homicide and suicide each rose by 8.3 percent last year. (Rabin, 10/6)
NBC News: Gun Deaths In 2021 Hit Highs Not Seen Since Early '90s, CDC Finds
"We had hoped after a 35% increase in one year, that it would either level off or go down," said Thomas Simon, the lead author of the new study and the associate director for science in the CDC's division of violence prevention. "But instead, it continued to climb in 2021. And now the suicide rate also climbed." Simon said disparities in gun homicide rates among racial groups have widened.(Griffith, 10/6)
A judge has blocked part of New York's new gun law —
ABC News: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Part Of NY's New Gun Law
Thursday's ruling is at least a temporary victory for six New York residents who said the new law is just as restrictive -- and unconstitutional -- as the one the Supreme Court overturned. (Katersky and DiMartino, 10/6)
In other mental health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Mississippi Seeks To Derail Federal Suits Over Mental Health
The U.S. Justice Department overreached in suing Mississippi over its mental health system, the state’s solicitor general has argued to a federal appeals court. A Justice Department attorney countered that there’s ample precedent to show the department has the power to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act. (10/6)
Politico: Educators Skeptical Of New Jersey's Plan To ‘Re-Engineer’ Student Mental Health Program
New Jersey is attempting to revamp a pillar of the state’s student mental health system, but some school leaders and mental health providers say they feel “ambushed” by the plan and lack faith in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration’s ability to carry it out. Starting with the 2023-2024 academic year, the state’s long-running school-based youth services program will be defunded and state funding set aside for that system will be moved to a regionalized “hub” model called the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services network, or NJ4S. It will be operated by the state Department of Children and Families. (Sitrin, 10/6)
Los Angeles Times: Voters Support Newsom's Mental Health Plan And Back Mandatory Kindergarten, Poll Shows
California voters strongly support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to set up a new court system for people struggling with a combination of severe mental illness, homelessness and substance use, but split with the governor on requiring children to attend kindergarten, a new poll shows. (Wiley and Willon, 10/6)
The Tennessean: Mental Health Crisis Program Requires Community Support For Success
Who should you call for someone experiencing a mental health crisis? The police or someone that you trust who is trained in de-escalation and mental health? (Jane Boram, 10/6)
Wyoming Public Radio: Governor’s Mental Health Summit Hopes To Generate A Range Of Ideas
Next week, Governor Mark Gordon will be hosting the Governor’s Mental Health Summit in Casper. The summit is for all mental health stakeholders in the state. Stefan Johansson, Wyoming Department of Health director, said it’s important to get a wider group of stakeholders involved in mental health reform. (Kudelska, 10/6)
More on suicide prevention —
Scientific American: Do You 'Matter' To Others? The Answer Could Predict Your Mental Health
In South Carolina a grieving mother whose son died by suicide hands out stickers to young people. The sticker bears the words “Jackson Matters and So Do You.” To be important to others—to matter—has become more than just a truism. “You Matter” is the tagline of the National Suicide Prevention hotline. And the phrase “Black Lives Matter” calls attention to the exclusionary racism to which more than one in eight Americans is exposed. Over the past 30 years, but never more so than now, psychologists have formalized “mattering” into a psychological construct that uniquely predicts depression, suicidal thoughts or other mental ills. It also foretells physical resilience among the elderly. (Russo, 10/6)
The New York Times: Can Smartphones Help Predict Suicide?
In March, Katelin Cruz left her latest psychiatric hospitalization with a familiar mix of feelings. She was, on the one hand, relieved to leave the ward, where aides took away her shoelaces and sometimes followed her into the shower to ensure that she would not harm herself. But her life on the outside was as unsettled as ever, she said in an interview, with a stack of unpaid bills and no permanent home. It was easy to slide back into suicidal thoughts. For fragile patients, the weeks after discharge from a psychiatric facility are a notoriously difficult period, with a suicide rate around 15 times the national rate, according to one study. (Barry, 9/30)
If you are in need of help —
Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
