Increase in state suicide rates in the USA during economic recession

摘要

Evidence from European countries indicates a significant rise in suicides from the economic recession, totalling more than 1000 excess deaths in the UK alone. Among the worst affected economies in Europe, such as Greece, suicides have risen by more than 60% since 2007. Thus far, there has been little or no analysis of US mental health data, mostly owing to delays in data availability.Here, we extend our previous analyses of recessions and suicides in Europe to assess trends in all 50 US states. We use data on suicide mortality rates from 1999 to 2010 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unemployment data come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Time-trend regression models were used to assess excess suicides occurring during the economic crisis-ie, deaths over and above the level that would be expected if historical trends continued (see appendix for methodological details). Although there are concerns that suicide data are under-reported in the USA, these biases are likely to have been consistent over this relatively short period, although they might lead to a conservative estimate of the mental health effects of the crisis.