ROOT, Inc.
Join our Social Network!
  • Home
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Photo Gallery
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Mental Health and Guns

4/22/2016

1 Comment

 
When we talk about gun violence, something always gets left out. We fear mass shootings and terrorist attacks, but more often than not, a violent act committed with a gun is committed against oneself rather than others. According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm) there are 6.7 suicides by guns per 100,000 people, compared to only 3.5 homicides. The overall rate of suicides and homicides (with or without a firearm) is 13 and 5.1 respectively per 100,000 people.
 
Given that there are twice as many suicides as homicides, why do we focus so much on mass shootings? They certainly affect us emotionally. They drive into us fear that it could happen to us, but when you look around you, you are more likely to have a friend or family kill themselves then die by the hand of another.
 
This is why we argue for a public and mental health perspective on gun violence. Identifying key triggers to suicide can help to save lives. Allocating resources to high risk areas and demographics (males age 18-34 are especially at risk) can go a long way to reduce gun violence that is expressed against oneself. This is an important step, and one of many, involved in properly addressing gun violence.

1 Comment
Pamela Brewer link
5/3/2016 08:24:50 pm

Please contact me if you have any interest in being a guest on MyNDTALK with Dr. PAMELA BREWER

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Nick Luhring

    ROOT Inc. organizer writes about issues that contribute to emotional healing from gun violence.

    Archives

    October 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.