suicide

Merck Insomnia Drug Carries Risks of Drowsy Driving, Suicidal Thoughts

Posted on 05/20/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking. Related: ER Visits Soar for Older Adults Taking Ambien The Food and Drug Administration on Monday released its review of the company’s sleep aid, suvorexant, ahead of a public meeting on Wednesday. The pill works by temporarily blocking chemical messengers that keep people …

5 Ways to Deal With Surging Boomer Suicides

Posted on 05/6/2013 by | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | Your LifeThe image would be comic if it wasn’t so sad. Feeling hopeless and alone years ago, I remember holding a belt and looking at my shower curtain rod, wondering if it would hold my weight. I couldn’t have been too serious about harming myself with such a flimsy plan. That picture popped into my head last week when I heard the news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that more people now die by suicide than in …

Boomer Suicides Soar: Is the Economy to Blame?

Posted on 05/3/2013 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthWas it because of the devastating economic recession of the past decade, or the widespread mortgage crisis? Or maybe it was due to the abuse of prescription painkillers like OxyContin, or the pressure of being the “sandwich generation”? There are plenty of theories for why new government figures show the suicide rate for middle-aged Americans — adults ages 35 to 64 — jumped nearly 30 percent between 1999 and 2010. The increase was even higher — a 40 percent rise …

Grieving the Loss of My Niece

Posted on 02/28/2012 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | RelationshipsIt was a late night phone call while I was away on business travel. I immediately felt a knot in my stomach, fearing it would be about my parents in Arizona. But it wasn’t. It was worse. It was a family friend. “Shaelee is dead,” she said. Just like that. The sound of those words is harshly embedded in my memory; a constant reminder of our instantly new reality. She was gone. Nothing we could do would help her anymore.