Report ties suicide rates to economic cycle

Suicide rates rise and fall with the economic cycle, says a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that recommends more suicide prevention measures when the economy goes south.

The study, published online Thursday by the American Journal of Public Health, looked at business cycles from 1928 to 2007. It found a strong association between economic downturns and suicides among people aged 25 to 64, who are considered to be in the prime working age group.

"Knowing suicides increased during economic recessions and fell during expansions underscores the need for additional suicide prevention measures when the economy weakens," James Mercy, the acting director of violence prevention at the CDC, said in a statement. "It is an important finding for policy makers and those working to prevent suicide."

Specifically, the study found that overall suicide rates generally rose during downturns such as the Great Depression (1929-1933), the 1973 oil crisis and the 1980-1982 double-dip recession (1980-1982). The worst surge was during the Great Depression, when the suicide rate increased a record 22.8 percent between 1928 and 1932.

The rate fell during expansions such as World War II and the 1990s, to a low point in 2000.

"We know suicide is not caused by any one factor — it is often a combination of many that lead to suicide," said the study's lead author, Feijun Luo. "But there are many opportunities for prevention. Prevention strategies can focus on individuals, families, neighborhoods or entire communities to reduce risk factors."

Luo recommends: 

• providing social support and counseling services to those who lose jobs or homes; 
• promoting greater social integration and connection to schools and churches; and
• increasing the accessibility of prevention services.