I’m sharing the article below because I think Mandy shows that the rise has been tied to many factors. We’re only focusing on one or two and being told we can fix those and solve the problem, but it’s not that simple.
Mandy lists out some of the factors: financial, substance abuse, mental health, loneliness, and even that we’ve gotten better at tracking suicide, to help explain why the numbers have been getting higher since the 90s. Then, she talks about some of the solutions, including better support for addiction and mental health disorders, financial support mechanisms, and more research into other possible solutions.
Unspoken in her article but implied by the risk associated with loneliness, we’d also do well to create more community. What I think takes many of these risk factors from challenging to overwhelming is when we are left to deal with them alone. We might see these trends reverse when we have the proper support and mental health resources, but we’re not there yet. Too many people are alone.