Middle-aged suicide recently has become more prevalent than suicide among the elderly

[Emily]

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-19/new-research-finds-the-more-foreclosures-the-more-suicides#r=lr-sr

New Research Finds the More Foreclosures, the More Suicides
By Karen Weise May 19, 2014

...

A new study by two sociology professors, Jason Houle at Dartmouth College and Michael Light at Purdue University, combines the two approaches for the first time. The paper (PDF), from the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that even when taking into account other socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, the higher a state?s foreclosure rate, the higher the suicide rate.

The analysis shows a particularly strong connection between foreclosures and the suicide rates of the middle aged, considered 46 to 64 years old in the study. That helps explain some changes that have been unique to the recent downturn...

http://www.jnhoule.org/storage/Houle_Light_AJPH_Final.pdf

The Home Foreclosure Crisis and Rising Suicide Rates,
2005 to 2010
Jason N. Houle, PhD, and Michael T. Light, PhD
Am J Public Health. Published online ahead
of print April 17, 2014: e1?e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301774)
In 2009, the number of suicides in the United
States surpassed motor vehicle deaths for the
first time in modern history.1,2 Between 2005
and 2010, the suicide rate increased nearly
13%, from11.0 to12.4 per100 000 people.1,3,4
The recent rise in suicides has been especially
pronounced among adults aged 35 to 64
years.2 Suicide rates among the middle-aged
increased nearly 30%, from 13.7 in 1999 to
17.6 in 2010.2 Middle-aged suicide recently
has become more prevalent than suicide
among the elderly, who have historically had
higher suicide rates than all other age groups.2
The rise in suicide, especially among the middle-
aged, has become a puzzling and troubling
public health concern.
The recent increase in suicides