Deaths of Despair Driving a Greater Need for Investment in Young People
As we come to the close of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Recovery Month, Mindful Philanthropy is highlighting key issues and opportunities related to deaths of despair, including those deaths related to alcohol, drugs, or suicide. An epidemic of “deaths of despair” prior to COVID-19 has been accelerated due in part to economic decline, large-scale unemployment, mandated and residual social isolation, and reduced access to care. Early data suggests that the pandemic and recession were associated with an estimated 10-60% increase in deaths of despair in 2020, disproportionately experienced by men 15-55. However, deaths of despair look very different in different communities across the country, as demonstrated by the American Communities Project analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2014-2018 in partnership with the Center on Rural Innovation.
In 2020, with support from The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the American Communities Project began its two year exploration into the causes and effects of deaths of despair with differences becoming more apparent as stories emerged from the data. As explained by American Communities Project Founder and Director, Dante Chinni, a 35 year old woman in Seattle looks the same as a 35 year old woman in rural Montana on paper. Yet, their experiences and access to support look very different. As a result, ACP developed 15 community types to help standardize the experiences of people in the same community type and compare across different communities of the same type.
As you dig deeper based on community types, you can start to see the complex combination of factors that protect from or drive deaths of despair in different communities. Between 2014 and 2018, the disturbing growth in deaths of despair was not in those groups who have long led the figures, such as middle-aged white men and Veterans.
Rather, the most concerning recent growth is in young people across the country. However, that too has not been experienced equally across community types or population types. Native American youth, for example, in both urban areas and tribal communities, far and away lead the data for suicides in ages 15-19 and 20-24 when compared to other groups. This may be in part due to the confluence of extreme isolation, disconnect from community and cultural tradition, historical trauma, and limited access to care due to chronic shortages in providers, long distances to available care, and community and personal stigma of needing help. These are in addition to those factors experienced by other young people such as unhealthy engagement with social media and expectations that feel unattainable.
After youth on Native American lands, the next highest rates of suicides in young people ages 15-19 and 20-24 are experienced in communities classified as LDS Enclaves, Aging Farmlands, Graying America, and Working Class Country. For young people, many of these community types leading the country in suicide rates can be considered rural or semi-rural areas, indicating unique needs and challenges of youth in these communities, due to causes not all that different than those experienced by tribal communities.
To help you better understand the unique challenges facing rural areas, click here for an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming American Communities Project documentary looking at how one community in Montana is experiencing deaths of despair among youth.
While the data related to deaths of despair can be grave, there is tremendous opportunity for funders traditionally focused on community health and well-being, education, or other youth focused issues to support local organizations and leaders that increase mental health knowledge, reinforce young people’s connection to their community, and prevent deaths of despair. This is why Mindful Philanthropy is focused on activating greater philanthropic attention to youth and peer support, mental health in the education system, and crisis and 988. Please reach out to us if you are interested in learning more about how you can support any of these issue areas.
