“Fashion designer Kate Spade’s death this week has reminded Americans of the enormous toll of suicide, a growing problem that claims nearly 45,000 lives a year.
“Suicide rates in the U.S. have risen nearly 30% since 1999, according to a report released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Suicides increased in both men and women, in all ethnic groups and in both urban and rural areas.
“Suicide and “self-harm,” a category that includes attempted suicides, cost the nation $70 billion a year in medical care and lost work time, the CDC says.
“Nearly half of people who died by suicide had a known mental health condition, according to the CDC. Family members have given different accounts of Spade’s struggle.
“In media interviews, her sister, Reta Saffo, has said that she believes the designer suffered from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression.”
Read more at USA Today
