The Suicide Conundrum

(Cross-posted from Ta-Nehisi Coates)

Sorry to start this gorgeous summer day on an exceedingly somber note, but it's time to talk suicide.

I've written a lot about this topic, primarily from a public-health angle. Despite all we've learned about human psychology over the past several decades, we seem unable to make much of a dent in America's overall suicide rate, which has remained remarkably stable over the past half-century. In fact, the rate of suicide attempts seems to have gone up over...