Every 13 minutes voluntarily leaves the life of one US citizen. An epidemic of suicides swept over the poor and the rich, and celebrities, and peaceful provincials, but the main victim of white men. Equally frightening indicators were recorded only during the great Depression. But what lies behind the situation, which is increasingly called a national disaster?
The world watches with amazement the strange throwing of the USA in the field of foreign policy. They are in bad harmony with their image of a powerful superpower – a recognized “world gendarme”. But we must understand that this superpower is entering an extremely difficult period for itself: the economic stratification within the country is growing, the number of poor is increasing, and the Great Recession (as it is almost officially called the period that began in 2008) risks being greatly delayed.
You can argue for a long time how rich Americans live compared to residents of other countries. Undoubtedly another-many Americans do not want to live any more. According to the Center for disease control and prevention in the United States, for seventeen years the number of suicides in the country increased by almost 30 percent, and in half of the States the growth was from 30 to 58 percent.
America is catching up with Lithuania
Only in 2016, committed suicide nearly 45 million Americans in the age of 10 years. The country likes to be reproached for being too liberal in the field of carrying weapons, which makes it vulnerable to “lone gunmen”. But the figure in 45 thousand cases is twice the number of us citizens killed in the same 2016.the Average rating of suicides in the country is 16 per hundred thousand people. Such figures in America have not seen since the great Depression.
Legislator sad trend is traditionally the youth. The Americans from 15 to 34 years suicide was the second “yield” cause of death. In the same group there was an off-scale increase in cases of opioid poisoning. Among girls aged 10 to 14, the number of suicides has tripled.
In prosperous States such as Washington (not to be confused with the same city – the capital of the United States), the total number of suicides is relatively small – about 7 cases per 100 thousand population. But in States like Montana, that’s 29 cases. For comparison: in Lithuania-the absolute record for the number of suicides in the EU and one of the world Champions — this figure is 32.7 per 100 thousand.
It turns out that in one of the richest countries in the world there are areas where residents kill themselves with almost the same speed as in the depressed Baltic States. However, these grim statistics are rarely discussed in the American media. And now she hit the headlines mainly because of two high-profile suicides that occurred almost simultaneously. With a difference of a few days committed suicide designer Katie spade and a leading culinary talk show Anthony Bourdain.
They belonged to the democratic establishment, were rich, famous and successful. However, Bourdain, according to rumors, was never able to overcome his dependence on heroin. And spade has long been treated for bipolar disorder — in this case, the us prescribes medicines, one of the recognized side effects of which are “suicidal ideation”. Thus, both deaths are linked to the epidemic of opioid and drug dependence, which has covered the country and is already recognized as a national disaster. In the last 15 years alone, the number of overdose deaths has tripled. Analysis of the reasons for the popularity of suicide in the press usually comes down to a showdown between Democrats and trappiste.
Liberal media explain the situation by the unavailability of psychological assistance and the availability of firearms. It turns out that people kill themselves because they can not make an appointment with a psychologist, but if they do get to the doctor, he will prescribe them such drugs, from which suicidal sentiments will only increase. In addition, more than half of the reported suicides are not related to mental illness at all.
The problem of access to weapons also does not stand up to criticism. More than half of Americans really prefer to “put the bullet point at the end”. However, those who do not have weapons find other ways to die. The same spade and burden, as well as it is necessary to democratic elite, couldn’t stand firearms.
In turn, the right blame Barack Obama, in which industrial production has declined sharply, and hundreds of industrial cities have become a “rusty belt” of America. In their opinion, before trump came to power, Americans died of poverty and lack of prospects, but now everything will magically change.
Experts, however, believe that the suicidal trend will only increase – as well as the trend to reduce life expectancy.
White men don’t belong here
The overwhelming number of suicides in America are committed by white men. Middle-aged people are at particular risk. This is not a typical situation. Usually in this terrible competition leading teenagers and the elderly, and only in the United States in recent years, the death rate from suicide among adults is growing faster. Since 1999, the number of suicides among white males aged 45-64 has increased by 63 per cent. There are, however, groups where the dynamics are even worse-these are women from among the descendants of indigenous people, politically speaking-Indian women; among the latter, the increase in suicide reached 89%.
Researchers associate this trend with the crisis of the “working aristocracy”. From 2001 to 2012 in the country 42400 factories and plants were closed, 5,5 million vacancies on production were reduced. The loss of a well – paid job meant for the American proletarians not only impoverishment-together with the position they lost self-respect and meaning of life. Yes, some time they could feed themselves jobs in fast food or car washes. But no hopes to give their children education or earn a decent pension, they have no choice. Benefits saved from starvation, but killed self-esteem. Hence the rampant alcoholism, drug abuse and an epidemic of suicides that swept the rust belt of America.
A classic example is the state of North Dakota, familiar to us from the town of Fargo, famed by the Cohen brothers. There is the growth of suicides reached a record 58.6 per cent. A month ago in the town of Grand forks in his own house were found the bodies of 35-year-old local resident and her three sons 6, 10 and 14 years. A week before her death, the woman asked for donations on the GoFundMe website: she was charged thousands of bills for the treatment and treatment of children, which she was unable to pay. Not receiving a penny on the resource, she shot her children, and then committed suicide.
Similar stories from residents of the city of Bute in Montana
In the XX century copper, gold, silver were mined here, but then it became unprofitable and people began to lose their jobs. When the pulp mill closed, four people killed themselves.
“I regularly think about suicide,” Kevin lawney, a 54 – year-old supermarket cashier, told reporters at the Guardian. A devout Catholic torment of the infinite debt for insurance. Looney suffers from diabetes and hypertension, recently won the cancer, and after several operations, his debt to the clinic exceeded 40 thousand dollars despite the correct payment of health insurance. Such money at the cashier isn’t present, but also he can’t declare bankruptcy: to start the corresponding procedure, it is necessary to pay about one and a half thousand dollars.
“All my life I worked hard. I was the typical forever-processing American. I did not drink, I did not smoke, I am a devout Catholic, I worked all my life, graduated from College, raised three children, and now in my old age I am deeply in debt,” he tells reporters.
Only faith in God and a daughter, with whom a single father huddles in a social housing, is kept from Looney’s suicide. He will never have a pension – all the savings went to pay his medical bills. But Americans are killed not only by poverty and idleness
From 2004 to 2012, the number of suicides in the us army tripled. And in the same Montana 20% suicides account for on troops in resignation-usually this relatively prosperous people with pension and a good social package.
Their example is followed by real rich people and celebrities. Arranging a mass shooting in Las Vegas, committed suicide multimillionaire Stephen Paddock. Provoking a lot of copycats, suicides, passed away comedian Robin Williams.
Many are particularly afraid of the fact that suicide has become a fashionable topic. If previously, he sang songs only depressive rockers, but now do such pop divas like Rihanna and Beyonce. In the thriving funeral industry, the United States even had a special offer for suicides: for their families write special sermons, they devote the appropriate verses.
Obviously, the causes of this epidemic are rooted in the General moral climate in the United States. Lack of prospects and General disillusionment in life are equally ruining the poor and the rich, Republicans and Democrats. Plays a role and the cult of success-the notorious “American dream”. Not having achieved what he hoped for, the white American experiences what happened as the end of his path – and at this moment he does not have that support group (for example, relatives or friends) that helps his colored peers survive.
Individualism, which was so proud of the people of the United States, today becomes the risk factor. And the unrealized American dream literally brings to the grave.
