[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 135 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SUICIDE PREVENTION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention 
Day. I had occasion to visit with our former colleague, Gordon Smith, a 
tremendously good Senator from the State of Oregon, while I was in Las 
Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Even now we often speak--as we did in Las 
Vegas that evening--about our experience with those who have committed 
suicide. Gordon lost a son, I lost a father, and there are a small 
number of people here in this room today--if we could do an oral poll, 
we would find that many people in this room have been affected by 
suicide.
  Think about it. Each year, about 33,000 people commit suicide. That 
is a lot of people. It took me a while to accept not feeling sorry for 
myself and to try to do something about it, and we have done some 
things here as a body about suicide.
  We really don't understand it very well. For example, most suicides 
occur in the western part of the United States. I would have thought 
just the opposite. The West has bright, sunshiny skies, and the weather 
is a lot better than places like New York, but for some reason, west of 
the Mississippi, we have a problem with suicide that doesn't occur in 
other places.
  It is a national problem, and we have to do something about it. We 
have 33,000 people die every year, and those are the ones we know 
about. There are hunting accidents, car accidents, and hiking accidents 
that are really suicides but they are not acknowledged as such.
  From 1999 through 2014, the suicide rate in the United States 
increased by 24 percent, both men and women of all ages. Women are now 
becoming more equal to men in killing themselves.
  If we are going to actively address the increasing rate of suicides, 
we can't ignore the role firearms play. Guns are the most common device 
men turn to when they commit suicide. That is according to the CDC and 
not some leftwing group the Republicans like to harangue about. Almost 
23,000 suicides were carried out with firearms in 2013--that is the 
last information that we have--which is 10 percent higher than 3 years 
earlier.
  We don't really know what is happening in the military. Twenty-two 
people in the military will kill themselves today. It is mostly done 
after they have been honorably discharged from the military.
  We need to invest in evidence-based prevention. Young people are 
killing themselves. One of my wonderful staff members, my chief of 
staff--she is such a dear friend--comes from a large family of 10 
children. One of her brothers is a medical doctor with twins. One of 
them hanged himself--an 11-year-old boy, dead.
  We have to have more science-based information, and we don't have it. 
Mr. President, 33,000 people are dying each year as a result of self-
inflicted injuries.
  I note with a degree of seriousness that September 10 is World 
Suicide Prevention Day. I hope we can all acknowledge this is something 
on which we need to work together. It is not a partisan issue; just ask 
Gordon Smith. It is not a partisan issue; just ask me. As I have 
indicated, many people who work in these wonderful buildings in the 
Capitol have been affected by suicide.
  Will the Chair announce the business of the day.

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