[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3995-S3997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUICIDE IN AMERICA
Mr. REID. Madam President, in the wrap-up, in the final business that
will take place here today, Senate Resolution 84 will pass. This is a
resolution that deals with suicide prevention. Currently, there are
31,000 suicides every year in the United States; 83 people a day kill
themselves.
I made some remarks earlier today that will be in the Record of the
Senate on this subject. I just want to express my appreciation to those
that are sponsoring this resolution. It is a bipartisan resolution.
Senator Coverdell has been the lead Republican on this issue. Madam
President, he is the lead sponsor on this because in his State there is
a very courageous man, a man named Jerry Weyrauch. Jerry is leading a
national effort in this country to draw attention to this issue. He is
doing it after having gone through the trauma of losing his daughter by
suicide.
Suicide is something that affects many people. As indicated, 31,000
people a year kill themselves in this country. In my Senate office here
in Washington, about 2 months ago, during a period of 4 weeks, three of
my employees had relatives that killed themselves. One was an 11-year-
old boy that hanged himself.
Suicide is something we have learned can be avoided. I became vocal
about suicide after having participated in a hearing before the Senate
Aging Committee last year. Mike Wallace, a person those of us in
Government hate to get a call from, appeared before our Aging
Committee. The hearing was on senior depression. Mike Wallace, in my
opinion, Madam President, showed a lot of courage when he came before
our
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committee and acknowledged--this very articulate TV personality
appeared before our committee with a lot of humility--there were times
in his life when he felt like he wanted to die, he was so depressed.
The message he gave our committee was that there was no reason for him
to feel this way. With a little bit of counseling and some medication,
his life was changed.
It was at that hearing that I said to myself, and I indicated
publicly, that it was time I acknowledged the fact that my father
killed himself. It was something our family was embarrassed about,
maybe even a little ashamed about. But with Mike Wallace talking the
way he did, I thought it was something I should be more vocal about,
and try to prevent others from going through the trauma that my family
went through.
So, at that hearing, I said to the now Secretary of Defense, then
Chairman Cohen, that I thought it would be a good idea if we held a
hearing on senior suicide. We did. It was a remarkable hearing. We
learned it is a problem. We learned, of course, with that hearing
centering on senior suicide, what a tremendous problem it is across
this country, especially in Nevada. Nevada leads the Nation in suicide
and is twice--two times--the average for senior suicide. Nevada has a
real problem.
We came to learn in that hearing that suicide cuts across all ages,
it cuts across all economic lines, all social and economic boundaries.
More people die from suicide in the United States than from homicide.
That says a lot because there are tens of thousands of people, about
24,000 people a year in this country, who are murdered.
On an average day in this country, almost 2,000 adults attempt
suicide. For young people, ages 15 to 24, suicide is the third leading
cause of death, only behind unintentional injury and homicide. In 1992,
more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than died from
cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia,
influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. We can take all of the
people age 15 to 24 who died from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth
defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and lung disease, and they do
not equal the number of young people that killed themselves. Suicide is
the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.
One of the things we have learned in these hearings, Madam President,
is we do not know the cause of suicide. Why are the 10 leading States
in the Nation all Western States? We do not know why. We need to know
why. Why do males commit suicide, at rates and numbers for suicides,
four times more than females?
Elderly adults have rates of suicide more than 50 percent higher than
the Nation as a whole. We also know that seniors are much more adept at
killing themselves. We know a youngster is not very good. About every 1
in 200 who attempts suicide is able to be successful; yet, 1 in 4
seniors are successful. Suicide is preventable.
As I indicated, we learned from the Mike Wallace hearing that a
little bit of counseling and a little bit of medication is all that is
needed. Most suicidal persons desperately want to live; they are just
unable to see alternatives to their problems. Understanding and
identifying the risk factors for this phenomenon and evaluating
potential suicide prevention interventions must become a public health
priority. So we must do something about this preventable public health
tragedy. It is irresponsible and insensitive to allow victims and
families to suffer in silence or to nationally hide our heads in the
sand.
Those of us who have had experience with suicide wonder, is there
more we could have done? Why did he do it? Why did she do it? But I
think the important thing is to recognize the progress that has been
made. It wasn't long ago, Madam President, that someone that committed
suicide could not be buried in a public cemetery. They simply would not
allow it. There were many religious boundaries that the family of
someone that committed suicide could not go beyond. Things are changing
for the better. They will become better, and this resolution is really
an outstanding step in that direction.
I have acknowledged Senator Coverdell and I appreciate his support,
along with the two Senators from Louisiana, Breaux and Landrieu,
Senator Murray, and Senator Wellstone, those who have cosponsored this
legislation. The lead person in the House of Representatives is John
Lewis from Georgia. I am grateful to him for taking the lead in this.
But the most important thing we can do is not be insensitive. Again,
it is irresponsible and insensitive to allow families and victims to
suffer in silence or to nationally hide our heads in the sand and
pretend it doesn't exist. We have to acknowledge the problem and we
need to take the critical first step in doing something about it.
Today the Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network--the organization Jerry
Weyrauch formulated, sponsored and pushed--delivered over 20,000 signed
petitions from 47 States calling for the action that was accomplished
here today. It is time to lift the veil of secrecy and begin the effort
to heal the wounds and take the steps to prevent unnecessary loss of
life. It is time to continue the effort for mental health parity and to
ensure that all those who need assistance get the assistance they need,
without stigma.
The resolution I offered today, I hope, will be the first step in
focusing awareness on the need for suicide prevention and addressing
the need for a national strategy. No life should be lost when there is
an opportunity to prevent its loss.
Not one of the nearly 31,000 lives lost to suicide annually is
insignificant. These are the children, parents, grandparents, brothers,
sisters, friends, coworkers, and neighbors of each and every one of us.
There are some things, I repeat, that we don't know. We have multiple
suicides in families--families that appear to be the normal families.
We have fathers committing suicide and sons committing suicide. We need
to know more about this. Few of us can say we don't know someone who
has been touched personally by this tragedy.
In addition to this legislation, I am going to continue to offer
legislation which will be vital in taking necessary steps by calling
for the establishment of injury control research centers, which will
deal exclusively with the subject of suicide. We need a focal point
where we can develop expertise on suicide, both of seniors and of
children, and share this expertise with others interested in getting
involved.
I also intend to ask the National Institutes of Health to conduct
research into the treatment of clinical depression and suicide
generally.
Again, I express my appreciation to Members on both sides of the
aisle for supporting this resolution. It will be, I believe, the first
step in acknowledging suicide as a national problem.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that a statement from the
American Association of Suicidology and the American Psychological
Association be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
American Psychological Association
Washington, DC, May 5, 1997.
Hon. Harry Reid,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Reid: On behalf of over 150,000 members and
affiliates of the American Psychological Association (APA), I
am writing to express support and appreciation to you and
Senators Murray, Wellstone and Coverdell for the introduction
of a Senate resolution recognizing suicide as a national
problem.
The APA shares your concern that suicide rates among the
elderly, adolescents, and young adults have increased
dramatically in recent years. Since the 1950s, suicide rates
among youth have nearly tripled. Between 1980 and 1990, the
suicide rate increased by 30% in the 10 to 19 year-old age
group. For older Americans over 65, the suicide rate
increased nine percent between 1980 and 1992. Elderly
Americans make up about 13 percent of the country's
population, but account for about 20 percent of all suicides.
Although the reasons for this sharp increase are unclear,
depression, living longer with chronic illness, and
increasing social isolation of the elderly may play a role in
the growing numbers of elderly Americans who take their own
lives. In addition, alcohol abuse and substance abuse can
dramatically raise the suicide risk, especially among youth.
Alcohol and drugs, separately or in combination, are potent
disinhibiting agents that foster impulsive and dangerous
acts.
As the suicide rate can clearly be reduced and as mental
and behavioral disorders which lead to suicide are
increasingly treatable, the APA strongly supports the
resolution and recommends funding for additional
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research, demonstration, evaluation, and intervention
projects to reduce the rate of youth and elderly suicide.
Thank you again for your leadership on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Raymond D. Fowler, Ph.D.,
Executive Vice President and
Chief Executive Officer.
____
American Association of Suicidology,
Washington, DC, 5 May, 1997.
Senator Harry Reid,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Senator Reid: I am writing on behalf of the American
Association of Suicidology in support of your thoughtful,
timely, and compassionate resolution recognizing suicide as a
national problem and suicide prevention a national priority.
For too long we in America have suffered from the imported
burden of stigmatizing both those who are suicidal and those
affected by suicidal deaths. Suicides are often wrongly
considered to be volitional deaths; this in spite of the fact
that they are motivated by mental disorders and irrational
thinking. Until we better educate our population to what we
know about suicide and make a more concerted effort to
prevent these tragic, premature, and often preventable
deaths, we will continue to needlessly devastate thousands of
newly bereaved family members, friends, and colleagues
annually. Moreover, we can seriously impact the associated
cost and burden of suicide to the American economy which is
estimated to run into the tens of billions of dollars each
year.
The operative word here is needless. We need not suffer
these losses. We can make a difference.
Your resolution has long been needed and represents the
type of initiative Congress can make for the public health of
our nation. We applaud your efforts.
Sincerely,
Alan L. Berman, Ph.D.,
Executive Director.
____
Mr. REID. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brownback). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
____________________