Rural America is facing an existential crisis. As cities continue to grow and prosper, small towns are shrinking. That fundamental divide played itself out in the recent presidential election.
[...] The trend is clear: Rural America is literally fading away. It shouldn't come as a surprise, therefore, that the opioid overdose epidemic has hit rural states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, especially hard. And the latest research from the CDC also shouldn't come as a surprise: Suicides in rural America (labeled as non-core) have increased over 40% in 16 years.
From 1999 to 2015, suicide rates increased everywhere in America. On average, across the U.S., suicides increased from 12.2 per 100,000 to 15.7 per 100,0001, an increase of just under 30%. However, in rural America, the suicide rate surged over 40%2, from just over 15 per 100,000 to roughly 22 per 100,000. Similarly, the suicide rate in micropolitan areas (defined as having a population between 10,000-49,999) went from 14 per 100,000 to 19 per 100,000, an increase of around 35%.
On the flip side, major cities saw much smaller increases in suicide rates, on the order of 10%. The graph depicts a clear pattern: Suicide rates are highest in the most rural parts of the country, and they slowly decrease as urbanization increases. As of 2015, the suicide rate in rural areas (22 per 100,000) is about 40% higher than in the nation as a whole (15.7 per 100,000) and 83% higher than in large cities (12 per 100,000).
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2, Disagree) by linkdude64 on Thursday March 30 2017, @04:40PM (6 children)
"mental health means the ability "to love and to work"
Government policy can only provide one of those things.
When I hear about Trump reigning back the EPA, my heart goes out to the woodland critters, but to all of the meat-eating Leftwingers, you should also think about the futures being given back to those in the "flyover" states - the truly unsung heroes of the country.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 30 2017, @04:44PM
Yeah, trump is really helping them out, who doesn't love more asthma and polluted waters? Fish covered with coal-mining slurry is an aphrodisiac.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 30 2017, @05:43PM (2 children)
Oh really? Why exactly should we fall all over ourselves for the "flyover states"?? It takes all types for a successful society, without the engineers those farmers wouldn't have their big fancy tractors. Without the urban centers they would have no entertainment, no computers, etc. etc.
They are fellow citizens and deserve the same liberties as the rest of us. Stop playing the victim please, the unsung heroes of the country are all the men and women who do their jobs and keep this big ball rolling. Urban or rural, conservative or liberal.
Also, what the FUCK is Trump doing for flyover states? Trying to bring back coal, and other stupid buzzwords that make you feel better but do nothing for the actual welfare of the flyover states? Ram the Dakota pipeline through which has been repeatedly debunked as some sort of job creation project? Trump is selling out those who voted him in, stop being a partisan sucker.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Thursday March 30 2017, @06:16PM
Also, what the FUCK is Trump doing for flyover states?
He's trying to de-fund their airports to literally make them fly-over states. [reason.com]
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Thursday March 30 2017, @09:24PM
Not doing great on the coal front either. At least in my state, the effect of his plan will be to allow old coal plants- ones unable to meet the previous environmental regulations- able to stay open longer by lowering or removing the requirements. However, most of the plants (as remember, they are old) will still need to cut staff and increase automation to stay competitive, so they'll probably be cutting jobs even if they stay open. The plants previously didn't bother with the investments in automation since they thought their days were numbered. Seems most of their own people didn't know this?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 30 2017, @05:53PM
When I hear about Trump reigning back the EPA,
America has no king, you "unable to spell" person!
(Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Friday March 31 2017, @04:58PM
We'll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can't destroy businesses.
Trump seems to have it backwards, and apparently so do you!
~Tilting at windmills~