Midlife suicide surge baffles experts

"A new five-year analysis of the nation's death rates recently released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate among 45- to 54-year-olds increased nearly 20 percent from 1999 to 2004, the latest year studied, far outpacing changes in nearly every other age group. (All figures are adjusted for population.)

For women 45 to 54, the rate leapt 31 percent. "That is certainly a break from trends of the past," said Ann Haas, research director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

By contrast, the suicide rate for 15- to 19-year-olds increased less than 2 percent during that five-year period -- and decreased among people 65 and older.

The question is why. What happened in 1999 that caused the suicide rate to suddenly rise primarily for those in midlife?

The lack of concrete research has given rise to all kinds of theories, including a sudden drop in the use of hormone-replacement therapy by menopausal women after health warnings in 2002, higher rates of depression among baby boomers or a simple statistical fluke.

At the moment, the prime suspect is the skyrocketing use -- and abuse -- of prescription drugs. During the same five-year period included in the study, there was a staggering increase in the total number of drug overdoses, both intentional and accidental, such as the one that killed the 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger. Illicit drugs also increase risky behaviors, CDC officials point out, noting that users' rates of suicide can be 15 to 25 times as great as the general population."

Read the whole article by Patricia Cohen of the New York Times here.

PTSD (another infamous set of initials)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of those things we hear a lot about in wartime. It is most often associated with soldiers returning from war - scarred by horrible memories that seem to return and return, the infamous "flashbacks" so prevalent in the movies. But in truth, PTSD affects some 8 million Americans and is actually more prevalent in women. And "flashbacks" aren't always in the equation.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that is triggered by a traumatic event (duh.) What constitutes a trauma varies wildly from person to person and yes, it may be something as awful as witnessing the horrors of combat, or something as commonplace as a traffic accident. Rape, a mugging, physical or mental abuse can cause PTSD as well as natural disasters. After any of these events a person would normally be overwhelmed by strong emotions - fear, anger, guilt and such - but gradually the coping mechanisms of the brain start to take the edge off and the person would start to feel better. In PTSD, the process somehow gets off track, and those strong emotions can surface suddenly with all the intensity of those of the original event. (Think wormhole for feelings. Yuck.)

The symptoms of PTSD can be an annoyance or they can sideline your life. But it can be treated. There are medications to reduce the anxiety and therapies designed to help defuse the memories through gradual exposure or reduce your reaction to them through cognitive thought processing. Most folks with PTSD will improve dramatically with treatment. Good news here what with Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and 9-11. We've had enough trauma, Thank You.

Good movie on the subject: Reign Over Me with Adam Sandler.