Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 1:01am
Why the alarming rise in midlife suicides?
Column: Spiritual Psychology
Who are happier — young adults or seniors? Looking at the dreary view of aging coming from the baby boomers, popular wisdom would say, "Young adults." On the other hand 40-something would also appear to be an ideal age for blissfully ravishing the fruits of life — after all, it's the time of the upward climb on the career ladder, the settling in to comforts of family life, for others the excitement of new relationships, and it's the period of high energy and vigorous physical vitality — among numerous other pluses and perks. Sounds good.
That's why experts were surprised recently by a report from the Centers for Disease Control of a dramatic 20 percent rise in the suicide rate of 45- to 54-year-olds from 1999 to 2004. Suicides for women of that age group rose an alarming 31 percent. In contrast, the suicide rate for 15- to 19-year-olds increased only 2 percent during the same period and declined for seniors age 65 and older. Those statistics came on the heels of another report just weeks earlier that researchers in England and the United States, looking at data on depression, anxiety, mental well-being, happiness and life satisfaction over a 35-year period found that men and women in their 40s were more depressed and more unhappy than other age groups. The report in USA Today noted that, "Middle age is such a low point for well-being that it's at the bottom of a U-shaped curve that indicates greater happiness among the young and old."
This is not entirely revolutionary breaking news. In fact, I was surprised that "experts" were surprised. It's long been known that midlife is a crisis point of great psychological stress. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung noted that age 40 was a turning point; And sociologist Daniel Levinson in his classic studies of adulthood, "Seasons of a Man's Life" and "Seasons of a Woman's Life," pinpointed age 40 as the starting point of explosive anxiety about body image and fear of aging: "A man at mid-life is suffering some loss of his youthful vitality and, often, some insult to his youthful narcissistic pride. Although he is not literally close to death or undergoing severe bodily decline, he typically experiences these changes as a fundamental threat. It is as though he were on the threshold of senility and even death." Notice the intensity of the language that screams out the catastrophic terror of aging and anticipation of death.
And what better confirmation do we need about midlife crisis than the ever-growing, desperation-driven, multibillion-dollar anti-aging industry underwritten by midlife baby boomers?
Andrew Oswald, economist at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, and co-author of the British/American study cited above showing greater unhappiness among the 40-something crowd, speculated that depression and unhappiness are greater in midlife than old age because people eventually make an adaptation that brings down their high aspirations. But how does that adjustment override Oswald's observation that the developing midlife low "doesn't just happen one year and go away another"? And the facts of old age bear out many of the fears at midlife — advancing age ushers in increasing physical and social losses and declines. At every turn, aging poses an assault on the ego (self-image, personal aspirations, desires, etc.) — the main operating system for most of us.
Given all that we know about the nature of the grumpy ego and its ferocious battle to "defeat" aging, you would think that the later years, particularly old age, would be rife with sadness, depression, despair, hopelessness, withdrawal and anger — or the leader in unhappiness and depression Young people would think so, says gerontologist Dr. Sheldon Tobin in his book "Personhood in Advanced Old Age": "Indeed, young researchers and practitioners can not easily comprehend how it is to live with the kinds of physical impairments and interpersonal losses found among the very old; and certainly, most young people cannot comprehend how it is to live without an active sex life. If such adversities were to occur to them, life would be truly unbearable."
The surprise news, though, contrary to popular mythology tainted by fear, is that older adults in general are pretty content. The "third age" of life shows less incidence of serious depression and less mental illness compared with younger adults, according to aging expert Dr. Michael Smyer. And researchers, including famed psychologist Erik Erikson, looking into the day-to-day lives of older adults, find that satisfaction, peace and active involvement are more the norm than the exception.
How can we explain this? Egos don't dance to the music of self-satisfaction in the "now," especially with real losses and diminished prospects for the future.
Older adults, in defiance of historical stereotypes, are teaching us that aging can be a window of opportunity for a leap to higher ground beyond the ego that transcends the crisis of aging — many discover and reunite with their factory-installed higher consciousness that I call omni consciousness.
The active, productive lives of successful agers points to a previously hidden genuine developmental stage of ego transcendence that centers life in the ageless now moment. The now moment is a great equalizer of generations — it belongs to no one of any age more than you.
In "The Spiritual Emergency of Aging," a chapter in my recently published book, "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free," I explore the journey from fear of aging to transcendence of the crisis of aging. We'll look at some of the exciting details next week.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches "Spirituality in Film" and leads "The Spiritual Forum" at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio, he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major publications. He is also the president of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy and is the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India. His book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free" is published by Rowman & Littlefield. He can be reached at: {email OmniCns@aol.com}OmniCns@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Bernard Starr.
That's why experts were surprised recently by a report from the Centers for Disease Control of a dramatic 20 percent rise in the suicide rate of 45- to 54-year-olds from 1999 to 2004. Suicides for women of that age group rose an alarming 31 percent. In contrast, the suicide rate for 15- to 19-year-olds increased only 2 percent during the same period and declined for seniors age 65 and older. Those statistics came on the heels of another report just weeks earlier that researchers in England and the United States, looking at data on depression, anxiety, mental well-being, happiness and life satisfaction over a 35-year period found that men and women in their 40s were more depressed and more unhappy than other age groups. The report in USA Today noted that, "Middle age is such a low point for well-being that it's at the bottom of a U-shaped curve that indicates greater happiness among the young and old."
This is not entirely revolutionary breaking news. In fact, I was surprised that "experts" were surprised. It's long been known that midlife is a crisis point of great psychological stress. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung noted that age 40 was a turning point; And sociologist Daniel Levinson in his classic studies of adulthood, "Seasons of a Man's Life" and "Seasons of a Woman's Life," pinpointed age 40 as the starting point of explosive anxiety about body image and fear of aging: "A man at mid-life is suffering some loss of his youthful vitality and, often, some insult to his youthful narcissistic pride. Although he is not literally close to death or undergoing severe bodily decline, he typically experiences these changes as a fundamental threat. It is as though he were on the threshold of senility and even death." Notice the intensity of the language that screams out the catastrophic terror of aging and anticipation of death.
And what better confirmation do we need about midlife crisis than the ever-growing, desperation-driven, multibillion-dollar anti-aging industry underwritten by midlife baby boomers?
Andrew Oswald, economist at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, and co-author of the British/American study cited above showing greater unhappiness among the 40-something crowd, speculated that depression and unhappiness are greater in midlife than old age because people eventually make an adaptation that brings down their high aspirations. But how does that adjustment override Oswald's observation that the developing midlife low "doesn't just happen one year and go away another"? And the facts of old age bear out many of the fears at midlife — advancing age ushers in increasing physical and social losses and declines. At every turn, aging poses an assault on the ego (self-image, personal aspirations, desires, etc.) — the main operating system for most of us.
Given all that we know about the nature of the grumpy ego and its ferocious battle to "defeat" aging, you would think that the later years, particularly old age, would be rife with sadness, depression, despair, hopelessness, withdrawal and anger — or the leader in unhappiness and depression Young people would think so, says gerontologist Dr. Sheldon Tobin in his book "Personhood in Advanced Old Age": "Indeed, young researchers and practitioners can not easily comprehend how it is to live with the kinds of physical impairments and interpersonal losses found among the very old; and certainly, most young people cannot comprehend how it is to live without an active sex life. If such adversities were to occur to them, life would be truly unbearable."
The surprise news, though, contrary to popular mythology tainted by fear, is that older adults in general are pretty content. The "third age" of life shows less incidence of serious depression and less mental illness compared with younger adults, according to aging expert Dr. Michael Smyer. And researchers, including famed psychologist Erik Erikson, looking into the day-to-day lives of older adults, find that satisfaction, peace and active involvement are more the norm than the exception.
How can we explain this? Egos don't dance to the music of self-satisfaction in the "now," especially with real losses and diminished prospects for the future.
Older adults, in defiance of historical stereotypes, are teaching us that aging can be a window of opportunity for a leap to higher ground beyond the ego that transcends the crisis of aging — many discover and reunite with their factory-installed higher consciousness that I call omni consciousness.
The active, productive lives of successful agers points to a previously hidden genuine developmental stage of ego transcendence that centers life in the ageless now moment. The now moment is a great equalizer of generations — it belongs to no one of any age more than you.
In "The Spiritual Emergency of Aging," a chapter in my recently published book, "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free," I explore the journey from fear of aging to transcendence of the crisis of aging. We'll look at some of the exciting details next week.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches "Spirituality in Film" and leads "The Spiritual Forum" at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio, he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major publications. He is also the president of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy and is the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India. His book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free" is published by Rowman & Littlefield. He can be reached at: {email OmniCns@aol.com}OmniCns@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Bernard Starr.