Report: Suicide Threats Up in Marion: Resources for Those in Crisis

Marion Police appear to be responding to more people threatening to take their own life this year.

This year the number of threats of suicide Marion Police have responded to - 21 through mid May - is on pace to top the 42 calls received in 2012, and that topped the 24 in 2011, according to figures from the Marion Police department.

We are still waiting for information from the Linn County Medical Examiners Office to see if this has translated into more suicides. Nationally, there has been a surge in suicides in the past decade, particularly among middle-aged Americans.

Down in Iowa City, more people are threatening to take their own lives, but the suicide rate hasn't risen.

Nationally, suicides are up sharply, particularly among middle-aged Americans, the New York Times report citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Traditionally the young and old are most prone to suicides, the Timesreports.

The report factors in the economy and easier access to painkillers.

Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm.

From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent, to 17.6 deaths per 100,000 people, up from 13.7. Although suicide rates are growing among both middle-aged men and women, far more men take their own lives. The suicide rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000.

Here are some resources from Foundation 2 for people who may be struggling with depression or having suicidal thoughts.

• Mobile Crisis Outreach is available by calling (319) 362-2174 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Ask a Counselor a question online.
• Read more about warnings signs, what to do for a person at risk and for statistics for the state of Iowa.