Suicide

  On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the pandemic’s mental health toll. More than 30% of adults in the US reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

On this edition of Your Call, Dr. Tia Powell joins us to discuss her new book, Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End. More than five million people in the US have dementia. As 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, that number will likely rise.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255. You can also talk to someone online by following this link.

On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the rising rate of suicides in the US. The recent deaths of chef Anthony Bourdain and designer Kate Spade have shone a spotlight on suicide, but a new study from the Centers for Disease Control shows that rates have been rising for the last two decades – nearly 30 percent since 1999.

This week on KALW's showcase for the best stories from public radio podcasts and independent radio producers... 

In the past six weeks, five people have died on Caltrain tracks, hit by trains that could not stop in time to avoid them. Every year, an average of 12 people die on Caltrain tracks, and most are suicides. This is a small percentage of suicide deaths each year – only about one percent of suicides in the U.S. are by train.

Caltrain has built 10-foot fences along much of the route, commissioned studies about location and prevention, put up signs with suicide hotline numbers along its tracks, and partnered with mental health agencies. But it is a tragic problem that persists.