Daniel Simon, Ryan Masters new study shows institutional failures increased suicide rates

A new CU Boulder study sheds light on the national upward trend of suicide rates. Authors Daniel Simon, doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and IBS research affiliate, and Ryan Masters, associate sociology professor and director of the Population Program, examined suicide data from 1997 to 2017. They found two institutional bodies contributing to suicide rate increases:

1. Prescription drug monitoring programs, whose minimal regulations or lack of existence in certain states made access to drugs like OxyContin easier, and
2. A weaker public safety net offering limited help during economic downturns.

Lisa Marshall, science writer for CU Boulder Today, tells the full story here.