Shannon Neal can instantly tell you the best night of her life: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, the Hinsdale Academy debutante ball. Her father, Steven Neal, a 54-year-old political columnist for The Chicago Sun-Times, was in his tux, white gloves and tie. \u201cMy dad walked me down and took a little bow,\u201d\u009d she said, and then the two of them goofed it up on the dance floor as they laughed and laughed.<\/p>\n
A few weeks later, Mr. Neal parked his car in his garage, turned on the motor and waited until carbon monoxide filled the enclosed space and took his breath, and his life, away.<\/p>\n
Later, his wife, Susan, would recall that he had just finished a new book, his seventh, and that \u201cit took a lot out of him.\u201d\u009d His medication was also taking a toll, putting him in the hospital overnight with worries about his heart.<\/p>\n
Still, those who knew him were blindsided. \u201cIf I had just 30 seconds with him now,\u201d\u009d Ms. Neal said of her father, \u201cI would want all these answers.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Mr. Neal is part of an unusually large increase in suicides among middle-aged Americans in recent years. Just why thousands of men and women have crossed the line between enduring life\u2019s burdens and surrendering to them is a painful question for their loved ones. But for officials, it is a surprising and baffling public health mystery.<\/p>\n
A new five-year analysis of the nation\u2019s death rates recently released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate among 45-to-54-year-olds increased nearly 20 percent from 1999 to 2004, the latest year studied, far outpacing changes in nearly every other age group. (All figures are adjusted for population.)<\/p>\n