Uptick In Suicides Blamed On The Economy
The news that famed 68-year-old movie director Tony Scott ended his own life Sunday brings the issue of suicide to the forefront. There are the inevitable questions: Why would someone with so much success feel like life was no longer worth living? While his suicide note hasn't been released, it's likely his livelihood wasn't the issue (ABC News reported that the director had inoperable brain cancer.)
Yet a slew of recent reports say there's been an uptick of adult suicides throughout the U.S. and Europe -- with the lagging economy being blamed. This of course isn't a new phenomenon. As a recent study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development notes, the image of the financially ruined committing suicide by jumping out of buildings is one closely tied to the Great Depression.
A Rash Of 'Economic Suicides'
According to a new study published this week by the British Medical Journal, Great Britain saw about 1,000 more suicides a year from 2008 to 2010 than historic trends would have suggested. The researchers from the BMJ also said that the regions that saw the greatest rise in suicides were those that had the largest increases in unemployment. While the authors concede that a link between unemployment and the rise in suicides is still not conclusive, they also note that a slight decrease in suicides in 2010 coincided with a minor improvement in male employment that year.More: 7 Part-Time Jobs That Pay Up To $40 An Hour
Economic Suicides: 'Europe's Crisis Point'
The idea that unemployment is causing a spike in suicides isn't even in doubt in European countries such as Greece, Italy and Portugal, where the economies have taken a nosedive. Greece has seen suicides jump 40 percent in the first half of 2011 compared with the same time frame in 2010. The country's experience with suicide was profiled this week in a feature by The Washington Post, which put a human face on the grim statistics. The report focuses on a struggling Greek musician who ended his life by leaping from his apartment building. He was joined on the jump by his 90-year-old grandmother, whose Alzheimer's disease he couldn't afford to treat. He'd lost multiple gigs in the wake of the recession and friends said he blamed the "powerful of the Earth" for his situation.What About U.S. Workers?
Sixty-three percent of American workers between the ages 55 to 64 say that they are feeling stressed at work. The No. 1 source? Too low of a paycheck, with 13 percent citing inadequate pay as the main issue. Other workplace issues reported as causing the most stress: unreasonable workloads; difficult commutes; annoying co-workers; lack of opportunity for advancement; fear of being fired; and poor work-life balance. And as for the suicide rate among Americans, that number is creeping up too. During the first year of the recession ending in 2009, the suicide rate rose 2.4 percent in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC also reported that in 2008, 13.4 percent of those in the U.S. who committed suicide had experienced problems financially or on the job.Job Losses At 'The Tonight Show'
And in the United States, it looks as if no one is immune from layoffs. "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" may still be the highest-rated late night program on television, but financially it's only breaking even, reports the Los Angeles Times. Consequently some 20 workers have been laid off, and the host reportedly agreed to take a $5 million pay cut from his current rate of $25 million to $30 million a year, so as to preserve jobs.Don't Miss: Companies Hiring Now
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Dan Fastenberg
Dan Fastenberg has more than a decade of experience working as a journalist. Most recently he was a reporter with TIME Magazine covering politics with analyst Mark Halperin. Previously, he was a writer for the Thomson Reuters news service's Latin America desk. He was also a reporter and associate editor for the Buenos Aires Herald while living in South America. Follow Dan on Twitter. Email Dan at daniel.fastenberg@teamaol.com. Add Dan to your Google+ circles.
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