Another risk factor that should be added to the list is an unrecognized or undiagnosed mental illness, Dr. Myers said. Individuals who suffer from an unrecognized mental illness actually might begin to think that thoughts of despair and suicide are normal. They might not consider that they are not well and need to seek treatment, should it even be available. For those attempting suicide by hanging, the risk is made even more real by the easy access of ropes and other means.
On the other hand, he noted that an underlying condition need not always be present to put persons at risk from current stressors, as is the case for victims of unrelenting bullying as well.
"These are real-life factors, and people vary in their resilience," Dr. Myers said. "Not everyone can survive these horrible economic times."
Indeed, the current analysis found that no region of the country was immune from the trend, with suicide rates increasing significantly across all four geographic regions and in 39 states. Suicide rates among middle-age adults were highest in the West (19.5/100,000 persons), followed by the South (18.4), Midwest (17.3) and Northeast (13.9). Although the West had the highest suicide rate, the greatest increase over the study period was in the Midwest (up 35.6%), followed by the Northeast (32.7%), South (24.4%) and West (23.6%).
The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.