I pulled some WHO data for a collection of North American and European countries over the last thirty years[1], and while it&#x27;s factually accurate that US suicide rates are at a 30-year high the rate remains middle-of-the-pack for developed Western nations. The &quot;surge&quot; is a small absolute increase from the 30-year baseline.<p>That does not make it any less tragic or less deserving of attention, but we should pick appropriately-scaled policy solutions instead of those we might use for a crisis. (The NPR piece today about suicide rates in Greenland strikes me as an extreme crisis.[2])<p>It&#x27;s also worth noting, for all the people pointing out economic causes for increased suicide, that economically-battered Greece has by far the lowest suicide rate in this group.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;OKnsBF4" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;OKnsBF4</a><p>[2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;goatsandsoda&#x2F;2016&#x2F;04&#x2F;21&#x2F;474847921&#x2F;the-arctic-suicides-its-not-the-dark-that-kills-you" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;goatsandsoda&#x2F;2016&#x2F;04&#x2F;21&#x2F;47484792...</a>