The Morning: Hope for suicide prevention

Plus, Ukrainian troops, Aleksei Navalny and Volkswagen

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 21, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Ellen Barry writes about promising news involving suicide prevention, an urgent public health issue that deserves more attention. — David Leonhardt By Ellen Barry Mental Health Reporter, Science We're also covering Ukrainian troops, Aleksei Navalny and Volkswagen. Suicide barriers on the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim Wilson/The New York Times Suicide science "The bridge is sealed up." Last month, with those words, the general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge announced the completion of a suicide barrier — stainless steel netting that extends about 20 feet out from the walkway for the length of the bridge, making a jump into the water below extraordinarily difficult. For decades, friends and family members of people who had jumped pleaded for a barrier. And for decades, my colleague John Branch recently reported, officials found reasons — the cost, the aesthetics — not to build one. But something is changing in the United States, where the suicide rate has risen by about 35 percent over two decades, with deaths approaching 50,000 annually. The U.S. is a glaring exception among wealthy countries; globally, the suicide rate has been dropping steeply and steadily. Barriers are in the works on the William Howard Taft Bridge in Washington, D.C., the Penobscot Narrows Bridge in Maine and several Rhode Island bridges. Universities in Texas and Florida have budgeted millions of dollars for barriers on high structures. Scores of communities are debating similar steps. Research has demonstrated that suicide is most often an impulsive act, with a period of acute risk that passes in hours, or even minutes. Contrary to what many assume, people who survive suicide attempts often go on to do well: Nine out of 10 of them do not die by suicide. Policymakers, it seems, are paying attention. I have been reporting on mental health for The New York Times for two years, and in today's newsletter I will look at promising, evidence-based efforts to prevent suicide. A single element For generations, psychiatrists believed that, in the words of the British researcher Norman Kreitman, "anyone bent on self-destruction must eventually succeed." Then something strange and wonderful happened: Midway through the 1960s, the annual number of suicides in Britain began dropping — by 35 percent in the following years — even as tolls crept up in other parts of Europe. No one could say why. Had medicine improved, so that more people survived poisoning? Were antidepressant medications bringing down levels of despair? Had life in Britain just gotten better? The real explanation, Kreitman discovered, was none of these. The drop in suicides had come about almost by accident: As the United Kingdom phased out coal gas from its supply to household stoves, levels of carbon monoxide decreased. Suicide by gas accounted for almost half of the suicides in 1960. It turns out that blocking access to a single lethal means — if it is the right one — can make a huge difference. The strategy that arose from this realization is known as "means restriction" or "means safety," and vast natural experiments have borne it out. When Sri Lanka restricted the import of toxic pesticides, which people had ingested in moments of crisis, its suicide rate dropped by half over the next decade. Arresting an urge More than half of U.S. suicides are carried out with firearms. Guns are a reliably deadly means, resulting in death in about 90 percent of attempted suicides; intentional overdoses, by contrast, result in death about 3 percent of the time. When an attempt fails, "these folks generally survive and go on to get past these thoughts, go on to live happy, full lives," said Dr. Paul Nestadt, a suicide researcher at Johns Hopkins. "If you are a gun owner, that brief moment where the suicidal thoughts exceed the desire to be alive for tomorrow, that's all it takes." Other countries, like Israel, have brought down suicide rates dramatically by restricting access to guns. But in the U.S., about 400 million guns are circulating in private hands, said Michael Anestis, who leads the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center. "We don't know where they are, and even if we did, we would have no way of getting them," he said. Twenty-one states have passed red flag laws, which allow the authorities to remove firearms temporarily from individuals identified as dangerous to themselves or others. A follow-up study found that firearm suicides dropped 7.5 percent in Indiana in the decade after the law's passage; Connecticut saw a 13.7 percent drop over eight years as the state began to enforce the law in earnest. Another promising approach is to change gun storage habits, which Anestis likened to public health campaigns around smoking or drunken driving. He threw out some ideas, including financial incentives, such as providing gun owners with a hefty coupon for a gun safe, and encouraging gun shops to install lockers so people could temporarily store their guns outside of the home. Even brief counseling sessions can change a gun owner's habits, trials show. Anestis recalled one subject who was particularly dismissive of the counselor's advice but returned six months later with a different outlook. "Since I was last here, I broke up with my fiancé and I let my brother hold my guns. If I hadn't done that, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead," the subject told researchers. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach a lifeline for help. More resources are available here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS War in Ukraine Avdiivka, Ukraine, last week. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers disappeared after Russian forces took the eastern city of Avdiivka last week. Officials believe the Russians may have captured them. In southern Ukraine, Russian forces are targeting land hard-won by Ukraine in a rare success of its counteroffensive last summer. A Russian pilot who protested the war by defecting into Ukraine aboard a helicopter last year is believed to have been shot to death in Spain. Russian authorities arrested a Russian American woman and charged her with treason. A lawyer said she had sent $50 to a nonprofit that supports Ukraine. Aleksei Navalny Outside the Russian Embassy in Washington. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images The Biden administration plans to impose more sanctions on Russia in response to Aleksei Navalny's death in prison. Trump compared the legal cases against him to Navalny's death. Trump called the Russian opposition leader's death "very sad" but didn't criticize Vladimir Putin over it. Israel-Hamas War The U.S. cast the sole vote against a U.N. resolution that would have called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Officials said the resolution would have disrupted hostage negotiations. The U.N. suspended food deliveries to northern Gaza because hungry people had looted convoys. Israel ordered more evacuations in the area. Supreme Court The Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging admission rules meant to diversify an elite Virginia high school, letting the policy take effect. It is a victory for class-based affirmative action programs. Justice Samuel Alito again criticized the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. He has previously suggested that the court should reconsider it, but most justices still seem to support it. More on Politics Nikki Haley promised to continue her presidential campaign past Saturday's primary in South Carolina, her home state. "I feel no need to kiss the ring," she said of Donald Trump. President Biden's re-election campaign ended January with nearly $56 million on hand, growing his fund-raising advantage over Trump, whose campaign had about $30 million. A former F.B.I. informant charged with making false bribery claims about Biden and his son Hunter claims to have met with Russian intelligence officials. Eric Hovde, a wealthy Republican businessman, is challenging Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, in Wisconsin. Democrats are beginning a multimillion-dollar effort to appoint more state judges. 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Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS Volkswagen's Beetle was once the best-selling imported car in the U.S. Barney Ingoglia/The New York Times Nostalgia: Volkswagen has a plan to regain sales in the U.S. — revive old designs, like the Microbus and the Scout, but make them electric. It's one of several foreign automakers viewing the electric transition as a way to challenge America's dominant players. "Everybody's starting from scratch," Arno Antlitz, the company's chief financial officer, said. "This is our unique opportunity to grow." More on culture The director Sam Mendes plans to make four Beatles biopics, each telling the band's story from a different member's point of view. Brands like Burberry and JW Anderson celebrated London Fashion Week turning 40. See images from the shows. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Kate Mathis for The New York Times Simmer a chicken and rice soup that's both cozy and fresh. Avoid scams when renting a car abroad. Fall asleep on a Japanese futon. Try these tips when putting your children to bed. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was menfolk. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. 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