Tag: suicide

Opioids, Suicide Push Life Expectancy Down Again In The US

This is the “longest sustained decline” in life expectancy in a century.

The life expectancy of Americans has declined for the third year in a row, according to 2016-2017 data.

Rising drug overdose deaths and suicide are to blame, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As the Washington Post stated, this marks the “longest sustained decline” in life expectancy in a century, a trend not seen in the U.S. since 1915-1918, a period which included World War I and a flu pandemic.

A person born in 2017 can expect to live 78.6 years in the U.S., according to the new data. This marks a decrease of 0.1 year from 2016.

Females continue to outlive men. From 2016-2017, the life expectancy of American women did not change (81.1 years), while men’s life expectancy declined from 76.2 to 76.1 years.

Drug overdose deaths hit a record high in 2017 at 70,237, the CDC confirmed—a 9.6% increase from 2016. The demographics most affected were men, and people between the ages of 25-54.

West Virginia saw the highest rates of drug overdose deaths (57.8 per 100,000), with Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. trailing behind. Meanwhile, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska had the lowest rates, with about 10 or fewer drug overdose deaths per 100,000.

Deaths from fentanyl and its analogs, and similar drugs, increased by 45%, while heroin-related deaths remained constant.

Prescription painkiller-related deaths also did not increase in 2017, the Washington Post noted. This may be the result of efforts to address over-prescribing through prescription drug monitoring programs and awareness initiatives, said Robert Anderson, chief of the mortality statistics branch at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Efforts to increase access to naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdose, may have helped mitigate some death rates as well.

The rate of suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., increased by 3.7% in 2017. Female suicides increased at a higher rate than male suicides (53% vs. 26%), however, men still die in greater numbers by suicide each year.

The statistics paint a grim picture of drug and mental health problems in the U.S..

“Life expectancy gives us a snapshot of the nation’s overall health and these sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable,” said CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield.

“We must all work together to reverse this trend and help ensure that all Americans live longer and healthier.”

View the original article at thefix.com

30 November 2018
Chris Cornell’s Family Sues His Doctor Over Singer’s Suicide

Vicky Cornell believes the doctor negligently prescribed her husband mood-altering drugs.

Chris Cornell shocked the rock world when he suddenly took his own life in May last year. Now his wife, Vicky Cornell, and their children are suing the doctor who prescribed Chris a slew of prescription drugs that Vicky believes led him to his death.

People obtained the lawsuit against Dr. Robert Koblin, which accuses him of “negligently and repeatedly [prescribing] mind-altering drugs and controlled substances,” including lorazepam and oxycodone.

Koblin is accused of failing to consider Chris’ history of drug abuse and not properly following up on how the medications he prescribed were affecting Chris, the suit alleges. The drugs “clouded [Cornell’s] judgment and caused him to engage in dangerous, impulsive behaviors that he was unable to control, which cost him his life.”

Chris was found dead at age 52, just hours after finishing a live performance with his band Audioslave. He had long struggled with substance abuse.

“I went from being a daily drug user at 13 to having bad drug experiences and quitting drugs by the time I was 14,” he told Rolling Stone in a 1994 interview.

At the time of his death, the late Soundgarden frontman had seven different drugs in his system, and although none of them were the actual cause of his death, Vicky believes an excess of anxiety drugs drove him to suicide.

“Approximately a year before he died, he was prescribed a benzodiazepine to help him sleep,” she said. “He had torn his shoulder. The pain in the shoulder was waking him up at night and it was keeping him up.”

There was no way he was suicidal, a family source believes. In the two weeks before his death, he delayed travel plans twice in order to avoid inclement weather. He even opted to drive a rental car for seven and a half hours instead of flying.

“Clearly someone who was so hesitant and fearful to fly in these situations valued their life,” the source said. “These are not indications of someone with no regard to their well-being.”

Following his death, Vicky said she found it hard not to blame herself. And, despite her husband being in a rock band, Chris was not another case of a hard rocker’s lifestyle catching up to him.

“My husband was the furthest thing from a rock star junkie. He just wasn’t,” she said. “He was the best husband, the greatest father. I lost my soulmate and the love of my life.”

View the original article at thefix.com

5 November 2018
Aaron Hernandez Allegedly Smoked K2 For Days Before Death

One inmate says the New England Patriot spent his last days smoking K2 and “wasn’t in his right mind.”

Radar Online has reported that former New England Patriots tight-end, Aaron Hernandez, spent the last two days of his life using synthetic marijuana, and died by suicide while in a chemically disoriented state.

Documents viewed by Radar also suggested that a state investigation into Hernandez’s suicide on April 19, 2017 at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachusetts withheld information about the 27-year-old’s drug use for fear of compromising a separate investigation into drug use at the facility.

Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the shooting death of semi-pro player Odin Lloyd in 2013.

Radar cited a redacted section of the 132-page public report that included quotes from an interview with an unnamed inmate on the day Hernandez died.

According to Radar, the prisoner is reported to have said, “Well, he’s spent the last two days smoking K2 in his cell, and he wasn’t in his right mind.”

Two other inmates corroborated that story, while all three alleged that Hernandez appeared to be in a positive or even celebratory mood in the days prior to his death, possibly due to his acquittal on murder charges stemming from a separate double homicide in 2012.

Reports about Hernandez’s alleged use of K2—a form of synthetic marijuana with a propensity for causing a host of symptoms from hallucinations to unconsciousness and in some cases, severe bleeding—surfaced almost immediately after his death.

But a 2017 toxicology report from the Massachusetts State Police found that Hernandez had no evidence of drugs in his system at the time of his death.

But as toxicologist Marilyn Huestis told the Boston Globe, K2 can be easy to miss in test screenings. “These [synthetic marijuana strains] can be so potent, the doses so low, that when a person takes it, you can only measure it in their blood for a short period of time,” she noted. “So labs will frequently miss it in the blood.”

Those findings were rebuked by Hernandez’s lawyer, Jose Baez, who in a statement to People, said, “The lack of professionalism exhibited by government officials and their employees during this entire process is unprecedented.”

Another of Hernandez’s lawyers, George Leontire, also condemned the state’s handling of the investigation. “Any disturbing commentary about the state’s investigation was clearly hidden from the public, Aaron’s lawyers, and his family,” he said to the Globe.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 November 2018
Verne Troyer's Cause Of Death Revealed

The Austin Powers actor had been battling alcohol addiction in the limelight for over a decade.

Months after his passing in April, Verne Troyer’s cause of death has been determined.

On Wednesday (Oct. 10) the Los Angeles County coroner’s office ruled the actor’s death a suicide by “sequelae of alcohol intoxication.” (Sequelae is defined as a condition that is a result of previous disease or injury.) Troyer died of multiple organ failure on April 21, 2018. He was 49.

“Based on the history and circumstances as currently known, the manner of death is suicide,” said Deputy Medical Examiner Martina Kennedy in the coroner’s report.

The Austin Powers actor had been battling alcohol addiction in the limelight for over a decade. He had been in treatment twice by 2016, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Troyer also appeared in the films Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and The Love Guru.

In 2016, he said that he had cut down on his drinking. “[I’m] sober… I mean, I drink occasionally, but not to the extreme that I did.”

In April 2017, the actor released a statement after being hospitalized for alcohol addiction. “As you know, I’ve battled alcohol addiction in the past and while it’s not always been an easy fight, I’m willing to continue my fight day by day,” he posted on social media.

He said at the time that he had been receiving treatment and will “continue to get the help that I need.”

But a year later, he ended up in the hospital again with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit.

“The actor called 911 himself, repeatedly saying on the call and when he arrived to the emergency room that he wanted to die,” according to the Washington Post. Again, he announced that he would enter a treatment program. Troyer died just weeks later.

“Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible,” read a statement on his social media accounts on the day of his passing. “Verne hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message everyday.”

The post continued: “Verne was also a fighter when it came to his own battles. Over the years he’s struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought some more, but unfortunately this time was too much.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 October 2018
Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington's Widow Appear In Suicide Prevention PSA

The cast of ABC’s “A Million Little Things” also appear in the mental health PSA.

The family of Chester Bennington appear in a new suicide prevention PSA, continuing the Linkin Park vocalist’s legacy through mental health advocacy.

Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda and Bennington’s widow, Talinda Bennington, appear alongside the cast of A Million Little Things, a new ABC drama about losing a friend to suicide. The PSA aired during the premiere of the show last Wednesday (Sept. 26).

“We lost our fictional friend to suicide,” says actor James Roday, who plays Gary Mendez on the show. “And we lost our very real friend,” says Shinoda.

Chester Bennington died by suicide in the summer of 2017. He was 41. Since his passing, his widow Talinda has become the face of mental health advocacy and suicide prevention.

Through social media, Bennington has been able to open a dialogue with grieving fans and promote efforts to raise awareness of the warning signs of depression and suicidal thoughts.

“The passing of my husband cannot be in vain,” she said this year. “His passing was a catalyst for opening up dialogue with respect to emotional and mental health. Throughout his life, he saved countless lives with his music and philanthropy. And through his death, he continues to save lives by spotlighting the urgent need for a change in our mental health culture.”

On what would have been her husband’s 42nd birthday this past March, Bennington encouraged fans to learn the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering. She is hoping to “change the culture of mental health” so that people who are struggling, and their family members, can address it openly and feel comfortable to seek help.

“I am now more educated about [the warning] signs, but they were definitely there: the hopelessness, the change of behavior, isolation,” she said during a CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper in June.

A Million Little Things is a new show on ABC that confronts the reality of losing a friend to suicide. The cast of friends and family—played by Romany Malco, Grace Park, James Roday, David Giuntoli (whose character Eddie credits his late friend for his recovery) and more—are left to cope with the fact that their friend Jon (played by Ron Livingston) is gone.

“Jon was the one who made the plans, who brought everybody together. They all relied on him. Now he’s no longer there, and they’re going to have to figure out what their new role is,” said Stephanie Szostak, who plays Jon’s wife Delilah.

In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that suicide rates in the United States “have been rising in nearly every state.”

In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide.

As for the “why” behind Jon’s passing, actor Livingston said he’s not focusing on that. “I decided early on to resist the urge to try to find the answer to why this guy did this. Suicide takes people in different ways for myriad reasons,” he said.

View the original article at thefix.com

5 October 2018
Link Between Suicide And Opioid Use Examined

Researchers hope that the results of a new study will help them better identify those at risk for suicide.

A three-year, $1.4 million study will examine the connection between opioid use and death by suicide, in hopes of more effectively identifying high-risk patients.

“We know that opioid use, opioid overdose and suicide are related, but we need much more specific information to guide our efforts at prevention,” Gregory Simon, MD, principal investigator of the Mental Health Research Network and a co-investigator on the study, told Health IT Analytics. “The findings from this study will be a great asset to the public health community.”

The goal of the research is to develop predictive models that can help doctors better identify and intervene with patients who are at higher risk of attempting suicide.

Researchers will analyze data covering about 24 million medical visits, 35,000 suicide attempts, and 2,600 suicide deaths. They will try to predict how likely it is that a suicide will occur within 90 days of the time an individual visits a medical professional.

Opioid overdose deaths have increased exponentially in the past decade, while deaths by suicide increased 27% between 1999 and 2015. During that time suicides that involved opioids doubled, and may have increased even more.

“We’ve done preliminary work suggesting that 22 to 37% of opioid-related overdoses are, in fact, suicides or suicide attempts,” said Bobbi Jo Yarborough, PsyD, an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.

Despite the rising risks, doctors and mental health providers often have difficultly identifying which patients are at risk for suicide.

“While health care settings are ideal places to intervene to prevent suicides, clinicians aren’t able to easily determine which of their patients are at elevated risk,” Yarborough said. “Our ultimate goal is to develop the most accurate suicide risk prediction tools and put them into the hands of clinicians. If our study is successful, clinicians will have a powerful new resource in the fight against suicide.”

Researchers will look at risk factors including illegal or prescribed opioid use, opioid use disorder, discontinuation or substantial dose reduction of prescription opioids, and prior non-fatal opioid-related overdoses. They will also examine how these factors affect men and women differently in order to understand whether one group is more likely to attempt suicide while using opioids.

Healthcare providers say that while suicide is highly stigmatized, talking openly about it can reduce the number of deaths.

“I have learned that it is important to talk about survivor stories. We know that suicide is preventable,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director at the CDC, said in June. “We are in a different era right now, with social media increased and also social isolation is high… We think helping overcome the isolation can improve the connectedness.”

View the original article at thefix.com

12 September 2018
Don't Blame Ariana Grande for Mac Miller's Death

The idea that someone holds another person’s very life in their hands and has the power to determine whether that person lives or dies is a painful and damaging misconception.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know very much about Mac Miller. I’ve never listened to his music or attended one of his concerts. My knowledge of him has mostly been in the headlines I’ve seen about his relationship with Ariana Grande and their subsequent breakup earlier this year.

And yet, the second that news broke of Miller’s death Friday, I instinctively knew what was coming. I knew that following the shock over his untimely death, the shame and blame would begin.

I knew because I’ve been there. I’ve lived it. And I’m here to tell you that casting blame is just about the most unhelpful thing you can do for someone following the death of a loved one.

Sadly, I was right. Just a few hours after it was reported that Miller died of a suspected overdose, people began hurling blame on social media. Their target: Grande, who first fended off trolls after their May split when fans blamed her for her ex’s DUI. She even took to Twitter to explain their relationship.

Now, four months later, Grande is battling trolls yet again. Trolls who are blaming her for Miller’s death and leaving hateful comments on her Instagram like “His spirit will forever haunt you,” “There’s a special place in hell for people like u [sic],” “You could’ve done something,” and “You should have helped him.”

Grande has since disabled comments on her Instagram and fans quickly came to her defense on Twitter, but unfortunately, what happened to her is nothing new. It’s reflective of a pattern we’ve seen before, most notably with Asia Argento following Anthony Bourdain’s suicide in June. Argento was cyberbullied and blamed for the celebrity chef’s death, which prompted those in Hollywood to rally around the actress in the form of an open letter published in the Los Angeles Times.

When someone dies suddenly and traumatically, it’s typically their loved ones who are caught in the crosshairs of other people’s grief and the struggle to understand the death. But what about those who don’t have an army of support like Grande or Argento? How are they supposed to traverse the minefield of grief following a traumatic death when they have so many questions and those around them are saying things that are more harmful than healing?

It’s human nature to want to make sense of death because a part of us will always resist the idea that death is natural. And when the death is unexpected, like Miller’s, we rail against death even more, looking for any explanation we can find that will help us make sense of everything. Even if it’s misguided, sometimes those explanations come in the form of lashing out and assigning blame to those closest to the deceased.

However, trying to place all the blame in the world isn’t going to magically bring the person back to life. Death isn’t something that we can wrap up neatly like a half-hour sitcom where everything is solved by the end. Just like life, death doesn’t work like that.

When I was 21, my father suddenly and unexpectedly died from suicide. Although the day he died was the most traumatic day of my life, I wrestled with feelings of guilt and shame for years. I was the last one to see my father alive, and the questions swirled around my head in a never-ending loop. What if I’d woken up just 15 minutes earlier? What if I’d seen the signs that he was struggling? What if he said something on the last day of his life, something significant that I just casually brushed aside?

What it? What if? What if?

Those are the questions that plagued me, and I’m sure those are the types of questions on Grande’s mind as she mourns the loss of Miller. The best thing we can do for her — and everyone grieving the loss of a loved one — is to let the grieving process take place. Let people mourn in peace without hurling vindictive words at them. Those words are incredibly hurtful, not to mention cruel and damaging. The idea that someone holds another person’s very life in their hands and has the power to determine whether that person lives or dies is a misconception that has no place in the journey following someone’s death.

As much as we’d like to think otherwise, we’re not superheroes who can swoop in and rescue someone. We can do everything to help them, of course, but we don’t have the all-knowing power to save them. And maybe even more importantly, it’s not our job to cure them. We can offer love, hope and compassion, but in the end, everyone on this planet is responsible for their own life.

I can only hope that those trolls who are blaming Grande have never lost a loved one to a traumatic death like Miller’s. Trust me, people who lose someone to an overdose or suicide struggle enough with self-blame. They don’t need the world shaming and blaming them too. What they need is love and compassion. And space to grieve without shame.

View the original article at thefix.com

11 September 2018
Michael Phelps, Jared Leto & More Join Mental Health Awareness Broadcast

Celebs and rock stars will join mental health experts for the live radio broadcast airing on September 9th at 7am.

Artists, athletes, and mental health experts will come together for a two-hour radio special “I’m Listening,” to help raise awareness of the growing trend of depression and suicide—airing in time for National Suicide Prevention Week (September 9-15).

Listeners can call in to the program to share stories about how mental health issues and suicide affected their lives. They can also share their stories via ImListening.org or through social media using the hashtag #ImListening.

The Alternative Press reports that Mike Shinoda (of the band Linkin Park) and Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars) will join the live broadcast—which airs Sunday, September 9 at 7 a.m.

While on the road, Shinoda has been paying tribute to his former bandmate and friend, Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017, shocking family and fans.

Michael Phelps will also be a part of the “I’m Listening” broadcast. The celebrated Olympian, who’s won 23 gold medals, has become a vocal advocate of mental health—promoting mental wellness and the importance of seeking help by sharing his own battles with depression, suicidal thoughts and problem drinking.

Singer Alessia Cara will also appear on the broadcast. The singer and songwriter appeared on the song “1-800-273-8255” (named after the National Suicide Prevention Hotline) alongside rapper Logic and singer Khalid. The song was Grammy-nominated for Song of the Year.

Actor and musician Jared Leto, the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars, and members of Pearl Jam, the Stone Temple Pilots and Third Eye Blind will also be featured on the live special.

Mental health professionals will also join the broadcast, like Dr. Christopher Nowinski. The former WWE wrestler co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation in 2007, and wrote the book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, which addresses the long-term effects of head trauma in sports.

Another is Dr. Ursula Whiteside, a clinical psychologist and CEO of NowMattersNow.org, a website dedicated to teaching research-based tools for how to help manage suicidal thoughts and mental health issues.

Dr. Whiteside, who is certified for group and individual Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), works with high-risk suicidal clients in her Seattle-based practice.

“Hearing stories about people’s lives helps us understand suicide so we can approach this topic with people we care about,” she said. “I look forward to answering questions via phone and providing resources even after the on-air broadcast has concluded. This is critical given that suicide is something that 4% of Americans seriously consider.”

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of nearly 45,000 Americans each year, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Depression is also widespread. According to WebMD, nearly 18.8 Americans over the age of 18 suffer from major depression. The majority will not seek treatment.

View the original article at thefix.com

30 August 2018
How Rising Temperatures May Affect Mental Health

A new article examined the grim link between high temperatures and suicide rates.

Not only is climate change dangerous to the natural environment, one writer posits, it can negatively affect mental health as well.

In a new article, Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky cites research that has found that rising temperatures can increase the likelihood of suicide.

Most recently, a report by Marshall Burke and his colleagues of Stanford University, estimated that a “1 degree Celsius increase in average monthly temperature produces a 0.68% increase in the monthly suicide rate in the U.S.,” Bershidsky wrote. In Mexico, the resulting increase in the monthly suicide rate was even higher—2.1%.

This year’s North American heat wave may have come and gone, while western Europe is predicted to be hit next with dangerous heat during the first week of August, average temperatures are on the rise.

According to the U.S. Office for Coastal Management, the five warmest years on record in the United States all have occurred since 2006.

This research is significant given that average temperatures are predicted to continue to rise. According to the Office for Coastal Management, if we continue on this trajectory, by 2050, “the average American will likely see 27 to 50 days over 90 degrees (Fahrenheit) each year.”

According to Burke’s research, this could have a grim impact on people’s mental health. His team calculated that a 2.5 degree increase in U.S. average temperatures by 2050 would increase the suicide rate by 1.4%, causing more than 14,000 more suicides.

Bershidsky cites other research that came to similar outcomes, showing that hotter temperatures affected suicide rates.

A report in 2007 from Lisa Page and colleagues at the London Institute of Psychiatry discovered that with “each degree above 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit), the suicide rate increased 3.8%.”

But despite discovering these correlations, it’s still a mystery as to why exactly weather can affect people in this way.

“While speculative, perhaps the most promising mechanism to link suicide with high temperatures is a psychological one,” wrote Page. “High temperatures have been found to lead individuals to behave in a more disinhibited, aggressive and violent manner, which might in turn result in an increased propensity for suicidal acts.”

Bershidsky concludes that based on this research, communities should make a “better effort” to deal with the effects of climate change by investing in mental health support.

During a heat wave, defined as a prolonged period of abnormally hot weather, it is advised to drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity during the midday and afternoon to avoid heat exhaustion or stroke, and to take care that the elderly, children and pets, especially, are kept out of the heat.

View the original article at thefix.com

1 August 2018
Robin Williams' Daughter Zelda Pens Tribute For His Birthday

In her Instagram tribute, Zelda encouraged fans of her father to volunteer at homeless shelters and spread kindness in his memory.

July 21st marked what would have been the 67th birthday of comedy icon Robin Williams. His daughter Zelda Williams took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late father.

Shortly before the actor’s birthday, Zelda wrote, “It’s that time of year again. Everyone who has dealt with loss knows the pain of certain anniversaries, moments full of memory that come around like clockwork and usurp all others, no matter how hard you may try to prepare for or avoid them.”

When her father’s birthday comes around, Zelda revealed that she takes a break from social media because the outpouring of memories and sympathy on the net makes her father’s death harder to deal with.

“These weeks are the hardest for me, and thus, you’ll see me a lot less, if at all,” she continued. “For all the internet’s good intentions in expressing to me their fondness for dad, it’s very overwhelming to have strangers need me to know how much they cared for him right now. It’s harder still to be expected to reach back. So while I’ve got the strength, consider this my one open armed response, before I go take my yearly me time to celebrate his and my birthdays in peace.”

Zelda encouraged fans of her father to volunteer at homeless shelters in her father’s memory. “Look up how to make homeless aid backpacks. Give one in his name. He’d have loved that. Mostly, try to spread some laughter and kindness around. And creatively swear a lot. Every time you do, somewhere out there in our vast weird universe, he’s giggling with you… or giving a particularly fat bumblebee its wings.”

Zelda ended her post by writing, “Miss you every day, but especially these ones.”

The Hook actor died by suicide on August 11, 2014 at the age of 63.

In the wake of her father’s passing, Zelda has said she’s become an “accidental advocate” for mental health.

She told Women’s Health magazine, “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not ruining someone’s life. There’s a realization that everyone is fighting a different battle and you can’t fight it for someone else, but you can try to understand. Part of the first step forward, even before acceptance, but just toward understanding, is actually listening and learning.”

View the original article at thefix.com

25 July 2018