Suicide in the United States America’s attention has been focused sharply on the issue of suicide this week, with news that both fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain took their own lives, underscoring what has been a growing epidemic in the U.S. In total, there were nearly 45,000 suicides in the U.S. in 2016, and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention illustrates the extent of the crisis, showing that suicide rates across almost all U.S. states have increased in recent years. The report also sheds light on the circumstances tied to suicide. The following are key takeaways about suicide in the U.S. from the CDC report and other sources. Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Nationwide Rise From 1999 through 2016, suicide rates increased in nearly every U.S. state, with 25 states seeing surges of 30 percent or above. The rate for the country overall rose from 12.3 per 100,000 people to 15.4 – an increase of more than 25 percent. Nevada an Outlier Nevada was the only state not to see an increase in its suicide rate from 1999 through 2016, with the state experiencing a 1 percent decrease over that time period. The CDC notes, however, that the state’s rate was consistently high. During 2014-2016, for example, Nevada’s age-adjusted suicide rate for those at least 10 years old was 23.1 per 100,000 people. North Dakota, Montana Hit Hard Percentage increases in suicide rates between 1999 and 2016 ranged from 5.9 percent in Delaware to 57.6 percent in North Dakota. In the most recent period studied in the CDC report, covering 2014-2016, suicide rates ranged from 6.9 per 100,000 people in the District of Columbia to 29.2 in Montana. More Than Mental Health In an examination of those who died by suicide in 2015 in 27 states, 54 percent did not have a known mental health condition. “Suicide is more than a mental health issue," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC. "We don't think we can just leave this to the mental health system to manage." Biggest Rise Among Middle-Aged Adults 45 to 64 years old have seen the greatest surge in suicide rates since 1999 – from 13.2 per 100,000 people to 19.2 per 100,000 people in 2016. Black Children Outpacing Whites Suicide rates increased among both sexes and across all racial and ethnic groups and all urbanization levels from 1999 to 2015. Yet research also has shown that elementary-aged black boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 12 have been taking their own lives at roughly twice the rate of white children the same age, even though suicide rates in the U.S. are traditionally higheramong whites than blacks. A School Connection? Hospital visits for suicidal ideation and attempts by children between the ages of 5 and 17 more than doubled between 2008 and 2015, and the school year appears to correspond with an increase in such visits among America's youth, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. A Top Killer Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S. and is one of just three leading causes that have been increasing, along with drug overdoses and Alzheimer’s disease. Connected Crises The opioid and suicide crises are intertwined, with both contributing to a decrease in U.S. life expectancy in 2016 and the CDC reporting that 8 percent of drug overdoses that year were suicidal. In 2015 data from 27 states, roughly a third of suicides caused by poisonings involved opioids. A Complicated Problem Multiple factors contribute to suicide: According to data from 27 states, 42 percent of people who took their own lives had experienced a relationship problem. Twenty-eight percent experienced problematic substance use, and 22 percent had experienced a physical health problem. Source
