Suicide+and+Suicidal+Behavior

Nock, Matthew K., et al. “Suicide and Suicidal Behavior.” Epidemiology Review 30.1 (2008): 133-154. Print.

 This article, composed by several Harvard psychologists, makes comparisons between sociological factors and their corresponding suicide rates. Results from these experiments show that various factors have inconsistent suicide rates. The part of this research being used is the above figure, which outlines suicide rates from 1990-2005. The key shows that suicide rates over most age and gender demographics have stayed fairly constant over the 15 year span. Suicide rates for males 65 and over have decreased by a large margin, while suicide rates for males aged 45-64 have made a slight increase. This figure may make the strongest case for my argument. Showing that suicide rates have stayed fairly constant over a fifteen year span gives credence to the idea that suicide rates are staying nearly constant as antidepressant prescription rates are increasing. This ultimately raises questions regarding the overall efficacy of the antidepressant medications. Additionally, this data shows the necessity to track depression rates over a similar time span. Doing so will further support the argument that antidepressants may not only be ineffective in treating depression, but may also exacerbate symptoms.

Michael Hohl