Suicide rates spike among middle-aged US adults

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Suicide rates among middle-age U.S. adults are on the rise, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Over the last decade, the rate of suicide among adults ages 35 to 64 increased 28 percent, from 13.7 suicides per 100,000 people in 1999, to 17.6 suicides per 100,000 people in 2010.

The greatest increases in suicide rates were among people ages 55 to 59 (a 49 percent increase) and ages 50 to 54 (a 48 percent increase).

While suicide prevention efforts have traditionally targeted the young and the old, the new findings suggest that it's important for prevention strategies "to address the types of stressors that middle-aged Americans might be facing," Linda Degutis, director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in a statement.

Overall, firearms were the most common way people committed suicide (8.3 suicides per 100,000 people), followed by hanging/suffocation (4.1 suicides per 100,000 people), and poisoning (3.8 suicides per 100,000 people). During the study period, the rate of suicide from hanging/ suffocation increased 81 percent.

The reason for the rise in suicide rates is not known. Previous research has suggested that the recent economic downturn, as well as a rise in access to prescription painkillers may be contributing factors, the report said.

"Suicide is a tragedy that is far too common," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "This report highlights the need to expand our knowledge of risk factors so we can build on prevention programs that prevent suicide."

Suicide prevention strategies include enhancing social support and access to mental health services, and reducing the stigma associated with seeking such care, the report said. Strategies that help people overcome job loss, partner violence and the stress of caring for loved ones are also critical, the report said.

Since 2009, suicide deaths have been more common than deaths from car accidents. In 2010, there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides, the CDC said.

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Lyme disease rates rise in northern US

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  A deer tick.Nikon Small World

Lyme disease is shifting northward within the U.S., with cases in northern states on the rise while cases in southern states decline, a new study says.

Between 1992 and 2007, there were significant increases in Lyme disease rates in 21 states, while 14 states showed a significant decrease, and 15 states showed no significant change, according to the study.

Most of the states that showed increases in the tick-borne disease were northern states, including most states in New England, along with Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and states across the northern Midwest, including Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

States that showed decreases in Lyme disease rates over the study period were mainly in the Southeast, such as Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, but drops were also seen in California, Oregon and Wyoming.

"Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that increases in Lyme disease incidence in recent decades are attributable at least in part to the effects of climate change," the researchers wrote.

Studies have suggested that warming temperatures at northerly latitudes allow the Ixodes ticks, which carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, to migrate northward. Meanwhile, rates of the disease may be decreasing in southern states as warmer temperatures there allow an expansion of lizard populations from farther south. Lizards are "dead-end hosts" of the Lyme disease bacteria, meaning they do not transmit the disease to humans.

Lyme disease is also being reported in parts of Canada previously thought to be too cold for the ticks, the study said.

The researchers at the University of Toronto used data on Lyme disease rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They took into account factors beyond latitude that can affect a state's rate of Lyme disease, such as how much of its population lives in rural areas and the growth of its suburbs.

To prevent tick bites, the CDC recommends using repellents that contain 20 percent or more DEET, avoiding areas that are wooded or have high grass, and showering soon after returning from the outdoors.

The new study was published April 16 in the journal CMAJ Open.

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