Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Suicide Rates Increased In 2021, Following Two Years Of Decline
The Wall Street Journal: Suicide Rates Rose In 2021 After Two Years In Decline
Suicide rates rose in 2021 after two years in decline, federal data showed, driven by more deaths among men in nearly every age group. Suicides rates increased 4% in 2021 from a year earlier to 14.1 deaths per 100,000 people, the National Center for Health Statistics said on Thursday, the largest one-year increase in data collected from 2001 to 2021. For men, the rate was 22.8 deaths per 100,000, roughly four times that for women. (Wernau, 4/13)
ABC News: Suicides Increased In 2021, Reaching Highest Level Since 2018: CDC Report
There were 48,183 people who died by suicide in 2021, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It comes after two consecutive years of declines and is an increase of 4.7% from the 45,979 deaths recorded in 2020. It's also the highest number recorded since 2018, when 48,344 Americans died by suicide. (Kekatos, 4/13)
In related news about gun violence and mental health —
Fox News: Family Of Suspected Louisville Bank Shooter Connor Sturgeon Says He Suffered 'Mental Health Challenges'
The suspected gunman behind Monday's shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon, had "mental health challenges" but there were "never any warning signs" he was capable of carrying out the attack that left five dead and eight injured, his family said in a new statement. (Richard, 4/12)
AP: Dad Says University Failed To Treat NFL Veteran Who Shot 6
The father of a former NFL player who fatally shot six people before killing himself two years ago is suing the alma mater where his son played football. An autopsy eventually diagnosed Phillip Adams with an unusually severe form of the degenerative brain disease commonly known as CTE that has been shown to cause violent mood swings and memory loss. Now, Alonzo Adams says South Carolina State University did not follow safety protocols or properly train employees to treat the sustained head trauma that his son suffered during a college career that lasted from 2006 to 2009. (4/12)
The Guardian: A Columbine Survivor’s Tragic Battle To Reveal The ‘Ripple Effect’ Of Gun Violence: Trauma, Addiction, Suicide
With 377 school shootings since Columbine, Americans are still reckoning with the real toll of these attacks. (Beckett, 4/12)
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.
