Deaths of Despair in Midlife Among Iranians: The Cumulative Effect of a Long Economic Stagnation

Statistical facts show that despite the declining trend of death rates for populations across the developed countries as well as for non-white Americans, the death rate among middle-aged white Americans without a college degree has increased since the beginning of the 21st century causing a decrease in life expectancy in USA. The increase in deaths among middle-aged whites has been attributed to suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related liver disease. This phenomenon has been labeled deaths of despair. The original causes of deaths of despair in American society are a long economic stagnation and the way they as a nation have dealt with it. The original causes have raised competition in the market of low-skilled jobs. Subsequent rise in unemployment rate among lower-skilled whites has accelerated deaths of despair. In the past few decades, Iran has faced the problem of economic stagnation or very low rates of economic growth, thus experiencing a high unemployment rate. Therefore, deaths of despair are a potential threat for Iranian society. In order to prevent and mitigate such deaths in Iranian society, a national consensus seems to be vital to put sustainable and long-term economic growth as a top priority in public policy.