[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4012-S4013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  


    SENATE RESOLUTION 83--RECOGNIZING SUICIDE AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM

  Mr. REID (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wellstone, and Mr. Coverdell) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Labor and Human Resources:

                               S. Res. 83

       Whereas suicide, the ninth leading cause of all deaths in 
     the United States and the third such cause for young persons 
     ages 15 through 24, claims over 31,000 lives annually, more 
     than homicide;
       Whereas suicide attempts, estimated to exceed 750,000 
     annually, adversely impact the lives of millions of family 
     members;
       Whereas suicide completions annually cause over 200,000 
     family members to grieve over and mourn a tragic suicide 
     death for the first time, thus creating a population of over 
     4,000,000 such mourners in the United States;
       Whereas the suicide completion rate per 100,000 persons has 
     remained relatively stable over the past 40 years for the 
     general population, and that rate has nearly tripled for 
     young persons;
       Whereas that suicide completion rate is highest for adults 
     over 65;
       Whereas the stigma associated with mental illness works 
     against suicide prevention by keeping persons at risk of 
     completing suicide from seeking lifesaving help;
       Whereas the stigma associated with suicide deaths seriously 
     inhibits surviving family members from regaining meaningful 
     lives;
       Whereas suicide deaths impose a huge unrecognized and 
     unmeasured economic burden on the United States in terms of 
     potential years of life lost, medical costs incurred, and 
     work time lost by mourners;
       Whereas suicide is a complex, multifaceted biological, 
     sociological, psychological, and societal problem;
       Whereas even though many suicides are currently 
     preventable, there is still a need for the development of 
     more effective suicide prevention programs;
       Whereas suicide prevention opportunities continue to 
     increase due to advances in clinical research, in mental 
     disorder treatments, and in basic neuroscience, and due to 
     the development of community-based initiatives that await 
     evaluation; and
       Whereas suicide prevention efforts should be encouraged to 
     the maximum extent possible: Now, therefore, be it
           Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes suicide as a national problem and declares 
     suicide prevention to be a national priority;
       (2) acknowledges that no single suicide prevention program 
     or effort will be appropriate for all populations or 
     communities;
       (3) encourages initiatives dedicated to--
       (A) preventing suicide;
       (B) responding to people at risk for suicide and people who 
     have attempted suicide;
       (C) promoting safe and effective treatment for persons at 
     risk for suicidal behavior;
       (D) supporting people who have lost someone to suicide; and
       (E) developing an effective national strategy for the 
     prevention of suicide; and
       (4) encourages the development, and the promotion of 
     accessibility and affordability, of mental health services, 
     to enable all persons at risk for suicide to obtain the 
     services, without fear of any stigma.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to submit a Senate 
resolution which I hope will raise national awareness to the problem of 
suicide and one that recognizes suicide as a national public health 
problem needing attention.
  I am pleased to have as cosponsors of this resolution Senators 
Murray, Wellstone, and Coverdell. Their courage and leadership on this 
issue is appreciated.
  Currently there are nearly 31,000 suicides annually in the United 
States--83 suicides per day; or 1 suicide every 17 minutes--with 12 of 
every 100,000 Americans taking their own lives.
  Suicide cuts across all age, economic, social, and ethnic boundaries.
  More people die from suicide than from homicide in the United States.
  On an average day in this country, an estimated 1,900 adults attempt 
suicide.
  It is estimated that there are 750,000 suicide attempts annually.
  In 1994, the latest year for which we have statistical data, the 10 
highest suicide rates, averaging twice those of the mid-Atlantic 
region, were found in States within the intermountain region of the 
west.
  Unfortunately, my State of Nevada leads the Nation in this public 
health tragedy.
  Mr. President, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the 
United States.
  Males commit suicide at rates and numbers of suicides three to four 
times those of females.
  Firearms are currently the most often utilized method of suicide by 
essentially all groups--that is males, females, young, old, white, 
nonwhite--and the rates are increasing.
  Suicide rates have traditionally decreased in times of wars and 
increased in times of economic crises.
  Rates of suicide are highest among the older adult population above 
65. Last year I was pleased to call for a Senate Special Committee on 
Aging hearing which addressed this issue.

  Elderly adults have rates of suicide more than 50 percent higher than 
the Nation as a whole and the young--15 to 24.
  Youth--15 to 24 years of age--suicide rates increased more than 200 
percent from the 1950's to the late 1970's. Following the late 1970's 
the rates for youth have remained stable or slightly lower, although 
current rates are also approximately 200 percent higher than in the 
1950's.
  For young people 15 to 24 years old, suicide is the third leading 
cause of death, 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 and influenza, 
and chronic lung disease combined.
  The risk for suicide among young people is greater among young white 
males; however, from 1980 through 1992, suicide rates increased most 
rapidly among young black males. Although suicide among children is a 
rare event, the dramatic increase in the rate among persons 10 to 14 
years of age underscores the urgent need for intensifying efforts to 
prevent suicide among persons in this age group.
  Although there are no official statistics on attempted suicide, it is 
generally estimated that there are at least 8 to 20 attempts for each 
death by suicide.
  Risk of attempted suicide is greatest among females and the young. 
Females have generally been found to make 3 to 4 times as many attempts 
as males. Estimate of the ratio of young attempted suicides to suicidal 
deaths have generally ranged between 100 to 1 and 200 to 1.
  Mental health diagnoses are generally associated with higher risk of 
suicide. Groups/diagnoses at particular risk are the depressed, 
schizophrenics, alcoholics, and those with panic disorder.
  Feelings of hopelessness--that is ``there are no solutions to my 
problem''--are found to be more predictive of suicide risk than 
diagnoses of depression per se.
  The socially isolated are generally found to be at high risk for 
suicide.
  The vast majority of those who are suicidal display clues and warning 
signs.
  It is estimated that at least 4.0 million Americans today are 
survivors of a loved one's suicide.
  Mr. President, suicide is preventable. 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.
  Most suicidal persons give definite warnings of their suicidal 
intentions, but others are either unaware of the significance of these 
warnings or do not know how to respond to them.
  We can and must do something about this preventable public health 
tragedy. It is irresponsible and insensitive to allow families and 
victims to suffer in silence or to nationally hide our heads in the 
sand.
  By acknowledging the problem, we take the critical first step to 
doing something about it.
  This week in Washington one such survivor, Mr. Jerry Weyrauch, who 
lost his 34-year-old physician daughter to suicide, is taking his 
personal loss and turning it into an opportunity for all Americans.
  He has formed a group called the Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network 
[SPAN] which calls for a national suicide prevention strategy. While in 
Washington his group will deliver over 20,000 signed petitions from 47 
States to Members of Congress calling for action.

[[Page S4013]]

  His efforts are a classic American story of how one person with a 
cause can make a difference. I am pleased to see democracy work in such 
a commendable manner. This is indeed how our Government was set up to 
work and I am pleased to support his efforts, and those of SPAN, on 
behalf of so many Americans.
  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 ensure 
all who need assistance, get the assistance they need, without stigma.
  The resolution I submit today with my colleagues I hope will be the 
first step in focussing 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.
  Few of us can say we do not know someone who has been personally 
touched by this tragedy.
  I lost my father to suicide many years ago. I also know of several 
others who have just recently experienced the loss of a loved one to 
suicide.
  Mr. President, I am honored to submit this resolution today and hope 
my colleagues will join me in taking the first step to making a 
difference in this very preventable public health tragedy.
  I intend to offer legislation this session which will be vital in 
taking a necessary first step 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 and share this expertise with others interested in 
getting involved.
  I am pleased to lend my voice to this worthy cause and I am very 
happy to have Senator's Murray, Wellstone, and Coverdell joining me in 
this effort.
  I would also like to thank Jerry Weyrauch from SPAN and Dr. Lanny 
Berman from the American Association of Suicidology and Dr. Jane 
Pearson from the National Institute of Mental Health for their 
leadership in this field.
  I also want to acknowledge the countless professionals and volunteers 
across America who staff the crisis call lines; facilitate the 
workshops and support groups determined to help survivors go forward 
after such a loss; organize and implement prevention programs; conduct 
the research and evaluation to understand the causes of suicidal 
behavior; provide the treatment and support; and the many brave 
families and survivors who go on helping others to put the pieces back 
together again.
  Mr. President, we have before us today an opportunity to take the 
critical first step. I hope my colleagues will join me by 
overwhelmingly supporting this Senate resolution.

                          ____________________