This is not a post abt political sides. When it comes to MH, I don’t take sides. It just so happens that the Debates were last night & I watched intently to hear what the candidates had/didn’t have to say.
This “issue” I’ll discuss isn’t a red or blue one. It’s an American one (& many other countries are seeing the same trends).
I’m also not ignorant to the fact that there are MANY things our country wants to hear from our candidates & incumbent abt: healthcare, taxes, foreign policy, job growth, climate, etc. We each live in our own worlds where diff things take precedent for each of us.
All of the above said, please consider these #s & how many are impacted. I shared that we’re at a 30yr high in suicides in the in this pic. This is an EPIDEMIC. Arnd the yr 2000, the #s just started to skyrocket.
Diving deeper, here are some stats (compiled from many spots bc this lack of action infuriates me), that don’t get talked abt nearly enough:
Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death in ppl btwn the ages of 10-34.
The # of deaths to suicides is approximately 2X the # of deaths to homicide.
Last yr it’s estimated that there were between 1.1 & 1.4 Million suicide attempts in the US. If there were that many in that much emotional pain/suffering – to the pt where they attempted, just think abt how many were just merely effected greatly – we’re talking 10s of Millions.
We’ve discussed how drugs & alcohol are most often used to mask emotional pain & suffering, bc most of us aren’t taught healthy coping skills, & it’s a quicker “fix” to use substances. Well consider these stats:
Fatal overdoses attributed to opioids alone now claim abt 47,000 American lives a yr.
Meanwhile, alcohol use is linked to abt 88,000 deaths in the U.S. each yr.
Much of this has contributed to declining life expectancy for 3yrs in a row!!!
This stuff clearly impacts the masses & politicians aren’t addressing it. So it’s on us to do more. Pls keep sharing your stories. Grassroots is what we’ve got rt now.
