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WELCOME BACK, AS WE
MENTIONED BEFORE THE BREAK, THE
SUICIDES OF ANTHONY BOARDING
AND KATE SPADE THIS WEEK HAVE
PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON A GROWING
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.
SPOT HERE NOW TO HELP US MAKE
SENSE OF IT, PSYCHOLOGIST
DOCTOR MARISSA, AND
PSYCHIATRIST DOCTOR DANIEL,
WELCOME TO YOU BOTH, THIS IS
SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC TO
DISCUSS, WE APPRECIATE YOU
BEING HERE.
THE CDC REPORTED YESTERDAY, A
DRAMATIC SPIKE IN SUICIDE SINCE
1999.
WHAT ARE THE THEORIES ABOUT WHY
THIS IS GETTING WORSE?
I THINK THERE ARE A FEW
THEORIES, I THINK TWO OF THE
THEORIES ARE THE ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FELL
ON HOW TO -- HARDER TIMES, THEY
WERE HAVING FINANCIAL
DIFFICULTIES AND THE OTHER
THING IS THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
A MASSIVE AN AMOUNT -- I
MASSIVE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE HAVE
DIED BECAUSE OF THE ACADEMIC
AND NOW WE FIND A LOT OF PEOPLE
WE THOUGHT WERE OVERDOSING OUR
COMMITTING SUICIDE, SO WE THINK
THAT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM AS
WELL.
OF COURSE WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT TWO CELEBRITIES WHO TOOK
THEIR LIVES THIS WEEK, BUT I
DON'T REALLY KNOW ANYBODY WHO
HASN'T AT ONE POINT IN TIME OR
ANOTHER EXPERIENCED SOME PERIOD
OF FEELING DOWN, OR FEELING
LONELY, FEELING UPSET ABOUT
SOMETHING.
WHAT IS IT THAT TAKES SOMEONE
FROM THOSE FEELINGS THAT MOST
HAVE AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER TO
TAKING THE EXTREME ACTION OF
TAKING ONE'S OWN LIFE.
ABSOLUTELY, THERE ARE WHAT
WE CALL RISK FACTORS MENTAL
HEALTH PROVIDERS AND THE
COMMUNITY AT LARGE ARE NOT
AWARE OF OR ARE DIFFICULT TO
DETECT.
ANY OF THESE TYPES OF SIGNS AND
INTERVENING AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE, LIKE YOU MENTIONED,
THESE DAYS SADNESS IS SUCH A
COMMON SYMPTOM THAT EVERYONE
CAN EXPERIENCE, AND WHEN WE
LOOK AT SOME MORE DANGEROUS
SIGNS, PERHAPS ONE OF ONE OF
THE BIGGEST WHAT WE CALL
PREDICTORS OF SUICIDE IS
HOMELESSNESS.
-- HOPELESSNESS.
WHEN WE FEEL LIKE WE CAN COME
OUT OF THE BAD DAYS, WHEN THE
BAD DAYS BECOME UNMANAGEABLE,
JUST OUT OF OUR CONTROL, AND
THAT WE CAN'T SEE ANY FUTURE AT
THE END OF THE TUNNEL, THAT IS
WHEN WE BECOME MORE ALARMED
THAT THE PERSON IS NOT ABLE TO
HANDLE, YOU KNOW, ANY STRESS OR
PROBLEMS APPROPRIATELY, WHEN WE
SEE THAT THERE IS JUST NO WAY
OUT.
I WOULD SAY HOPELESSNESS IS A
KEY PREDICTORS, YES.
HOW DOES OUR RATE HERE IN
THE UNITED STATES BUT COMPARED
TO THAT'S -- THAT OF, LET'S
SAY, EUROPE, WHERE THEY MIGHT
HAVE MORE WORK LIFE BALANCE,
MORE TIME OFF WORK OR STRESSED
OUT AND IS LESS STRESSED OUT IN
GENERAL.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
IT IS HARD TO MEASURE,
BECAUSE THE DIFFERENT
STATISTICS, AND THE WAY WE
COLLECT THE TYPE OF DATA HERE,
VERY COUNTRY BY COUNTRY.
SO I THINK IT IS A DIFFICULT
SCIENCE TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE.
APPLES AND ORANGES?
RIGHT, ACROSS THE BOARD.
I THINK THE LATEST STATISTIC
ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION HAS US SOMEWHAT IN
THE MIDDLE OF SUICIDALITY, BUT
I THINK WHAT MAY CHANGE OR
OTHER REASONS, OR RISK FACTORS.
SOME MAY BE MORE CULTURAL OR
POLITICAL IN OTHER COUNTRIES,
THEN PERHAPS AS MY COLLEAGUE
WAS SAYING, IN THIS COUNTRY IT
COULD BE MORE ECONOMIC ISSUES,
SOCIAL ISOLATION, I THINK, IS A
PROBLEM.
IRONICALLY, AS CONNECTED AS WE
ARE IN TERMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA,
WE ARE PERHAPS MORE APART THAN
EVER BEFORE.
LET ME ASK YOU BECAUSE YOU
ARE A PSYCHIATRIST AND
PRESCRIBED MEDICATION TO HELP
PEOPLE WITH THESE TYPES OF
THINGS, LIKE ANXIETY, OR
DEPRESSION, HOW HELPFUL IS
MEDICINE, WHEN SOMEONE IS
DEALING WITH A CRISIS LIKE
THAT?
MEDICATION IS ALWAYS
HELPFUL, BUT I ALWAYS TELL MY
PATIENTS, IF YOU CAN DO IT FOR
FOR THERAPY, ALWAYS TRY TO USE
THERAPY BEFORE MEDICATION,
BECAUSE THERE IS VERY GOOD
EVIDENCE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE,
CHARITIES LIKE COGNITIVE
BEHAVIORAL THERAPY WHICH WORKS
VERY WELL FOR DEPRESSION AND
OCD, WHICH ARE -- WORKS AS WELL
AS MEDICATION, SO I ALWAYS
RECOMMEND THERAPY FIRST, BUT IN
THE ACUTE SETTING OF
DEPRESSION, THERE ARE SOME NEW
TREATMENTS ON THE HORIZON SUCH
AS KETAMINE INFUSIONS WHICH
WORK VERY WELL FOR PEOPLE WITH
ACUTE SUICIDAL FEELINGS, BUT
WITH SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, WITH
ANTHONY BOARDING, WITH KATE
SPADE, WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT IS
THE CONTAGION EFFECT.
WE KNOW THAT IN 2014 WHEN ROBIN
WILLIAMS COMMITTED SUICIDE,
THERE WAS A 10% UPTICK IN THE
NUMBER OF SUICIDES FIVE MONTHS
AFTER HIS DEATH.
SO, WE ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT --
WORRY ABOUT PROMOTING THESE
TYPES OF EVENTS IN THE WORD --
MEDIA.
IT IS DIFFICULT FOR US TO --
US AS JOURNALISTS TO KNOW WHAT
TO COVER BECAUSE OUR JOB IS TO
REPORT THE NEWS BUT WE ALSO
DON'T WANT TO INCREASE
PROBLEMS.
HE TALKED ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
AND THE RISE IN SUICIDE RATES
SINCE 1989, THAT IS KIND OF
WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA STARTED TO
RISE, DO YOU ATTRIBUTE ANY OF
IT TO SOCIAL MEDIA?
I THINK SOCIAL MEDIA HAS
MANY ADVANTAGES, RIGHT?
IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH
INFORMATION AND HOW MUCH
RESEARCH PEOPLE HAVE, READILY
AVAILABLE.
THE OTHER SIDE OF IT, TOO, I
WOULDN'T SAY THAT SOCIAL MEDIA
CAUSES THESE TYPES OF
BEHAVIORS, BUT FOR SOMEBODY WHO
IS EXPERIENCING FEELINGS OF
STRESS, THEY MAY FIND, WHETHER
IT IS THROUGH SOCIAL COMPARISON,
SAYING, LOOK AT WHAT EVERYBODY
ELSE HAS IT BUT I DON'T HAVE,
THERE IS A DANGER WHEN YOU
DIAGNOSE INCORRECTLY.
I THINK THERE -- THE GOAL FOR
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF
THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE IS TO
INCREASE HEALTHY AND ADAPTIVE
WAYS OF SOCIAL MEDIA, AND
KNOWING WHAT IS NOT.
I THINK THE INCREASED IN
SUICIDE RATES IS MORE THAN 54%
OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE
UNDETECTED WITH ANY TYPE OF
MENTAL ILLNESSES, SO, THEY DID
NOT HAVE A DIAGNOSED MENTAL
HEALTH CONDITION, SO THEY WERE
UNDERGOING SIGNIFICANT STRESS
WITH OUT ANY TREATMENT, WHICH
IS UNBEARABLE.
WHAT DO WE DO IF WE HAVE A
FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WHO WE
NOTICE IS EXHIBITING SOME OF
THE SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE BOTH
TALKED ABOUT, SOME WARNING
SIGNS, HOW DO WE INTERVENE, HOW
DO WE GET INVOLVED TO PREVENT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING?
WELL, IT IS ALWAYS A BALANCE
BETWEEN PRIVACY AND PUBLIC
SAFETY, RIGHT?
SO, WE DON'T WANT TO BE
COMMITTING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE
THEY SAY THEY ARE DEPRESSED.
BUT, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU
HAVE TO HAVE AN INTERVENTION,
YOU HAVE TO BRING IN FAMILY
MEMBERS, FRIENDS, AND SAY LOOK,
YOU'RE DEPRESSED, YOU'RE NOT
LEAVING YOUR HOUSE, YOU'RE NOT
TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF, YOU'RE
LETTING YOUR FINANCES GO, YOU
MUST GET HELP.
IF SOMEONE IS INTIMATELY --
IMMINENTLY A HARM TO THEMSELVES
YOU HAVE TO GET AUTHORITIES
INVOLVED.
BUT IT'S A TERRIBLE SITUATION
TO BEGIN -- BN.
SUCH AS THE BAKER ACT?
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M
TALKING ABOUT, YES.
DOCTOR MARISSA AND DOCTOR
DANIEL, IT'S AN IMPORTANT
SUBJECT, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
DESPITE OUR PLEASURE, THANK YOU.
I WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT IF
YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS
EXPERIENCING A MOMENT OF
CRISIS, REACH OUT, TALK TO