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Like Mick Jaggers, my former girlfriend hanged herself.

Published on March 31, 2014 by Scott A. Bonn, Ph.D. in Wicked Deeds

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In Suicide is Painless, the theme song from the iconic film and TV series M.A.S.H., the lyrics
include the following lines:
The game of life is hard to play. I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay, so this is all I have to say
That suicide is painless. It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it if I please.
The recent news that Mick Jaggers beautiful 49-year-old
girlfriend and fashion designer, LWren Scott, hanged herself in
her posh Manhattan apartment shocked the world. Combined
with the tragic suicide of my own former girlfriend, I am
wondering if suicide is a social factthat is, a predictable
pattern based on social forcesas argued by many
sociologists.

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Last year just before Thanksgiving, similar to LWren Scott, my beautiful

48-year-old girlfriend hanged herself and, not surprisingly, it has weighed
heavily on my heart and mind since then. I have felt deeply the pain and
despair of suicide in my own life. I have also analyzed suicide extensively
as a criminologist and social scientist.
The statistics indicate that suicide is sharply on the rise in the U.S.
Moreover, they reveal that suicide patterns are changing. It is no longer
concentrated primarily among isolated elderly and teenage Americans. It
has been dramatically on the increase among middle-aged Americans.
There has also been a dramatic increase in suicides among veterans of
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Consider this: There are now more than two suicides for every murder in
the U.S., and suicides also outnumber deaths in motor vehicle accidents.
To put it in perspective, there are currently about 15,000 murders, 33,000
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To put it in perspective, there are currently about 15,000 murders, 33,000

auto fatalities and 38,000 suicides in the U.S. annually.

Serial killers get better and bolder

with experience.

As reported in The New York Times last year, 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 (1).

The sociopathic killer is deeply

disturbed and very unstable.

Female serial killers exist, and

theyre as lethal as males.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from
1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans aged 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 middleaged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1
deaths per 100,000 (2).
Although most suicides are still committed using firearms, officials said
there was a marked increase in poisoning deaths, which include
intentional overdoses of prescription drugs, and hangings. Poisoning
deaths were up 24 percent over all during the 10-year period and
hangings were up 81 percent (3).
The CDCs deputy director, Dr. Ileana Arias, told The New York Times
that the rising suicide rate among middle-aged Americans might be due to
a series of life and financial circumstances that are unique to the baby
boomer generation. Men and women in that age group are often coping
with the stress of caring for aging parents while still providing financial
and emotional support to adult children (4).
The rise in suicides may also stem from the economic downturn over the
past decade. Historically, suicide rates rise during times of financial stress
and economic setbacks. The increase does coincide with a decrease in
financial standing for a lot of families over the same time period, Dr. Arias
said.

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Psychopaths can be treated

effectively.

Normal-seeming serial killers often

hide in plain sight.
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The legendary nineteenth century social scientist Emile Durkheim,

considered by many to be the founder of sociology, argued that suicide is
a social fact not an individual pathology. Using a vast amount of data from
official records on suicides in different parts of Europe, Durkheim
documented significant variations between countries in their rates of

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documented significant variations between countries in their rates of

suicide which he found were correlated or linked to environmental
conditions. This evidence, Durkheim argued back in 1897, shows that
each society has a definite aptitude for suicide which is a social fact that
is external to the individual members of a given society.
As a criminologist trained in sociology, I understand the merits and validity
of Durkheims argument. I agree that the current suicide epidemic among
middle-aged Americans and the dramatic rise in the overall suicide rate
are social facts.
In addition to those who actually commit suicide, there are countless
others who chronically fantasize about ending their own lives. Most of the
latter group conceal their pain and never discuss their dark thoughts
openly. They may exist for years in quiet misery. Others make an attempt
at suicide but somehow survive. For them, the attempt at suicide is really
a desperate cry for help.
Suicide is a social fact but the act itself is manifested at the individual
level. Suicide is an individual choicerational or notthat cannot be
undone. It has powerful implications for the friends and family of those
who commit suicide. The M.A.S.H. theme song reminds us that it [suicide]
brings on many changes. Those changes can be overwhelming for
survivors to endure and try to accept after a loved one unilaterally
chooses to end his/her life.
My former girlfriends suicide has deeply and profoundly affected me.
Intellectually, I understand that she chose suicide because living another
moment was unbearable for her and she was unable to reach out for
help. Although I am grateful that she is no longer suffering horribly in
silence, my acceptance of her choice is still a work in progress.
If you or someone you know needs help, visit the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or
call1-800-273-TALK (8255).
(1) Parker-Pope, Tara. Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S. The New

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York Times, May 2, 2013.

to loved ones?
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(2) Ibid.

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(4) Ibid.
Dr. Scott Bonn is professor of sociology and criminology at Drew
University. He is available for consultation and media commentary. His
new book Why We Love Serial Killers will be released by Skyhorse
Press October 2014. Follow him @DocBonn on Twitter and visit his
website docbonn.com

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