Baby Boomers are the Highest Risk Population for Suicide

In continual recognition of National Suicide Prevention Month, I interviewed Dr. Ann Haas, who directs the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention’s education and suicide prevention programs. Dr. Haas and her colleagues have developed one tool particularly worth noting, which has spread to 80 college and university campuses nationwide, as well as the US military, veterans, and certain workplaces like police stations and firehouses. It is called the Interactive Screening Program, (ISP), and it anonymously connects local counselors with individuals battling with untreated mental health problems.

(Though the program is run through local institutions that provide the personnel, and therefore cannot be accessed by ordinary citizens, Dr. Haas encourages anyone wishing to learn more about this program to find out more at AFSP.org, or to contact her directly at ahaas@afsp.org).

I started off by asking Dr. Haas about a statistic that I’d read recently: Baby Boomers are the population with the highest rate of suicide. Dr. Haas confirmed this as true! For the past several years, studies have shown an uptick in suicides in the population between forty-five and sixty-four years of age. There’s no socio-economic correlation: the upswing includes all backgrounds and income brackets. I speculated a bit as to the factors that might be contributing to this. First off, many in that generation are experiencing a rather new form of stress: caring for ailing parents, raising children, and juggling a career all at the same time. This is indeed likely, according to Dr. Haas, since this surge in suicide has touched women more than men, an especially compelling statistic in light of the fact that women rarely take their own lives.

I was extremely surprised to learn that 80% of suicides, across all age brackets, are men. In a cultural context, this makes sense. Men are not encouraged to share their emotions or to seek support from their peers or professionals, and are therefore more prone to feeling the extreme isolation that can lead to suicidal behavior. Moreover—as Dr. Haas pointed out—firearms are disproportionately used by men, and guns are a much more effective means of suicide than those that women are more likely to use, like poisoning. This brought us to another important point. The AFSP is a large advocate of gun safety regulations. Where gun ownership is high, studies show a large upswing in suicides and accidental deaths.

I also made a point to ask Dr. Haas if bullying causes suicide. No! It’s a myth! Dr. Haas was very adamant in her assertion that bullying is absolutely not a major cause of suicide. In fact, studies show that reported cases of bullying are decreasing. What’s actually increasing is media attention. When a young person takes his own life, the media seeks out a narrative involving bullying, but in reality, kids with the highest risk of suicide are the ones that bully others. Dr. Haas encourages us to actively dispel this myth by being vocal parents and grandparents. Suicide—we should tell our kids—is certainly not a normal reaction to bullying. We must correct this misconception, stop the zero-tolerance policy rhetoric, and see “bullies” for who they truly are: at-risk youth that need the guidance and support of their communities.