Suicide Prevention
Scientific Information: Data Sources
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Quick Facts
Suicide: Facts at a
Glance
This fact sheet
provides up-to-date data and statistics on suicide.
CDC Data Sources
Hospital Inpatient Discharge Data
Medical information about discharges includes up to seven diagnoses and up
to four surgical and nonsurgical operations and procedures. Medical data are
coded to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision,
Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Basic demographic information is also
included for patients discharged. Medical cost information is not collected
in this survey.
National Electronic
Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)
NEISS-AIP provides nationally representative data about all types and causes
of nonfatal injuries treated in United States hospital emergency
departments. CDC uses NEISS-AIP data to generate national estimates of
nonfatal injuries, including those related to suicide.
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey collects data on the
utilization and provision of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency
and outpatient departments.
National Violent
Death Reporting System
CDC has established the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) and
has funded 17 states to gather, share, and link state-level data on violent
deaths, including suicides. NVDRS provides CDC and participating states with
a more complete understanding of violent death. This enables policy makers
and community leaders to make informed decisions about violence prevention
programs, including those that address suicide.
The National
Vital Statistics System
The National Vital Statistics System is the oldest and most successful
example of inter-governmental data sharing. This system includes nationwide
data on deaths due to all causes, including suicide.
WISQARS
WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, pronounced
"whiskers") is an interactive database providing access to national
injury-related morbidity (NEISS-AIP) and mortality data (Vital Statistics).
These data are useful for research and for
making informed public health decisions.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System monitors health risk behaviors
that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among young
people in the United States, including suicide.
Other Federal Data Sources Non
Drug Abuse Warning Network
The Drug Abuse Warning Network is a public health surveillance system that
monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits and drug-related
deaths for the purpose of tracking the impact of drug use, misuse, and abuse
in the United States.
Pan American Health
Association, Regional Core Health Data Initiative
In 1995, the Regional Core Health Data and Country Profile Initiative was
launched by the Pan American Health Organization to
monitor the attainment of health goals of the Member States. The initiative
includes a database with 117 health-related indicators, country health
profiles, and reference documents.
The American
Association of Suicidology
The goal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is to understand
and prevent suicide. The Research Division of AAS is dedicated to advancing
knowledge about suicidal behavior through science. A description of research
projects is available on the AAS Web site.
WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS)
WHOSIS, the WHO Statistical Information System, is an
interactive database bringing together core health statistics for the 193
WHO Member States. It comprises more than 70 indicators, which can be
accessed by way of a quick search, by major categories, or through
user-defined tables. The data can be further filtered, tabulated, charted
and downloaded. The data are also published annually in the World Health
Statistics Report released in May.
Page last modified: August 20, 2008