Rate has followed the economy since the Great Depression
According to a new U.S. government analysis, the suicide rate increased 3 per cent during the 2001 recession and has followed the economy since the Great Depression, going up in bad times and down in good ones. Researchers have argued that economic difficulties can boost the likelihood of suicide among the vulnerable, like those with mental illness, but research results haven’t yet found link, and some studies actually suggest the suicide rate goes down in periods of high unemployment. Using more comprehensive data, this new study found a clear correlation between suicide rates and the business cycle among young and middle-age adults. The study looks at suicide rates per 100,000 Americans for every year from 1928 to 2007, and appears in the American Journal of Public Health.