Sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
AirTalk

In the wake of Anthony Bourdain and a new CDC report, we examine suicide’s causes and tools for prevention

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22:  Anthony Bourdain attends "WASTED! The Story of Food Waste" Premiere during 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 22, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: Anthony Bourdain attends "WASTED! The Story of Food Waste" Premiere during 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 22, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
(
Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe
)
Listen 1:36:36
CNN confirmed this morning that TV personality and chef Anthony Bourdain died of a suicide in France. We pay tribute to Bourdain, and analyze a new CDC report stating that suicide rates have risen. We also invite your calls on personal experiences with suicidal thoughts, or to ask our experts advice if you are still struggling.
CNN confirmed this morning that TV personality and chef Anthony Bourdain died of a suicide in France. We pay tribute to Bourdain, and analyze a new CDC report stating that suicide rates have risen. We also invite your calls on personal experiences with suicidal thoughts, or to ask our experts advice if you are still struggling.

CNN confirmed early this morning that beloved TV personality and chef Anthony Bourdain had died of an apparent suicide in France. We pay tribute to Bourdain, and analyse a new CDC report stating that suicide rates are on the rise. We also invite your calls to share your own experiences with suicidal thoughts, or to ask our experts advice if you are still struggling.

In the wake of Anthony Bourdain and a new CDC report, we examine suicide’s causes and tools for prevention

Listen 47:41
In the wake of Anthony Bourdain and a new CDC report, we examine suicide’s causes and tools for prevention

Suicide rates inched up in nearly every U.S. state from 1999 through 2016, according to a new government report released Thursday.

The CDC report comes at a time of heightened attention to the issue with the suicides this week of designer Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

The study found that more than half of suicides in 2015 in a subgroup of 27 states were among people with no known mental health condition. It’s important to note that suicide is rarely caused by any single factor, health officials said, but information from coroners’ reports suggest many of the deaths followed relationship problems, substance use and financial crises.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and one of just three leading causes that are on the rise. There were nearly 45,000 suicides in 2016. Middle-aged adults - ages 45 to 64 - had the largest rate increase, rising to 19.2 per 100,000 in 2016 from 13.2 per 100,000 in 1999.

In light of Bourdain’s passing this morning, Larry sits down with Gustavo Arellano to reflect on the chef’s life and career. He also discusses prevention techniques with experts, and takes your calls on how to push through suicidal thoughts.

With files from the Associated Press.

If you are in need of support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255, for free and confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Guests:

Deborah M. Stone, behavioral scientist in the Division of Violence Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; she is the lead author of the CDC’s Vital Signs report on trends in state suicide rates; and a former con

Gustavo Arellano, California columnist for L.A. Times Opinion section; former editor and “¡Ask a Mexican!” columnist of O.C. Weekly; he was on a Los Angeles-based episode of Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” in 2017; he tweets

Mark S. Kaplan, professor of social welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs whose research focuses on understanding suicide risk factors among vulnerable populations

Sandri Kramer, project manager at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles

FilmWeek: ‘Hereditary,’ ‘Ocean’s 8,’ ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ and more

Listen 27:50
FilmWeek: ‘Hereditary,’ ‘Ocean’s 8,’ ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ and more

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Justin Chang and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s new movie releases.

CRITICS' HITS

Christy: "Ocean's 8" & "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5LoVcVsiSQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhwktRDG_aQ&t=8s

Justin: "Hereditary" & "Hearts Beat Loud"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXNOg_SK7Vs

MIXED FEELINGS

Christy: "Bernard and Huey"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1AIDBQR1lg

Justin: "Hotel Artemis"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfuKsoEEms&t=90s

Guests:

Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?”;she tweets

, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets

Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson: 50 years after its release, the creators of ‘The Graduate’ discuss the films continued staying power and influence

Listen 19:42
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson: 50 years after its release, the creators of ‘The Graduate’ discuss the films continued staying power and influence

It’s hard to imagine anyone but Dustin Hoffman playing doe-eyed college graduate Benjamin Braddock in the comedy classic “The Graduate.”

But did you know that before Hoffman was ultimately chosen for the part, director Mike Nichols screen-tested Robert Redford for the role alongside Candice Bergen as Elaine? Or that there was talk of doing a sequel to the film that would center around Mrs. Robinson moving in with Ben and Elaine years after the end of “The Graduate”?

These were just a couple of the anecdotes shared last weekend after our latest FilmWeek screening, during which we showed Nichols’ 1967 classic in 4K on the big screen at Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

After the film, Larry Mantle and a panel of special guests, including the film’s producer Lawrence Turman and screenwriter Buck Henry, talked about the film’s enduring influence half a century after its release, explained the process of working with the late Mike Nichols to make their shared vision a reality on screen, and shared some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from the film’s production.

Guests:

Beverly Gray, entertainment journalist, teacher at UCLA Extension’s Writer’s Program, and author of “Seduced by Mrs. Robinson: How ‘The Graduate’ Became the Touchstone of a Generation” (Algonquin Books, 2017)

Buck Henry, writer of “The Graduate”

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and Christian Science Monitor

Lawrence Turman, producer of "The Graduate"