Life is fleeting. And for the 30,000 Americans who end their lives every year, that’s 80 suicides a day, one every 18 minutes, life is also unbearable. Twice as many people in this country die at their own hand every year than are murdered. Twice as many are lost to despair than to HIV/AIDS.
Science already knows who: The addicted. The mentally ill. The distressed. The inconsolable. Now, important new research is helping to answer why. And if researchers at Columbia University are on the right track, the answers could help loved ones and medical professionals better understand how to identify, and help, those most at risk. Science, suicidal tendencies, and what the biology of the brain can tell us about self-destructive behavior.
Guests:
Dr. Victoria Arango, associate professor of psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University
Carol Ezzell, writer and editor, Scientific American