More than 30,000 Americans die by suicide each year. Knowing the
signs of suicide can help you recognize a friend or family member in
need. Learn how to help a friend
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Important: If you or someone you love is considering suicide, call the National
Hopeline Network at 1-800-SUICIDE, or call 9-1-1 for help.
Suicide in the United States
The Problem
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Suicide took the lives of 29,350 Americans in 2000.1
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More people die from suicide than from homicide. In 2000, there were 1.7 times
as many suicides as homicides.1
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Overall, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death for all Americans, and is
the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24.1
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Males are more than four times more likely to die from suicide than are
females.1 However, females are more likely to attempt suicide than
are males.2
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In 1999, white males accounted for 72% of all suicides. Together, white males
and white females accounted for over 90% of all suicides.1 However,
during the period from 1979-1992, suicide rates for Native Americans (a
category that includes American Indians and Alaska Natives) were about 1.5
times the national rates. There was a disproportionate number of suicides among
young male Native Americans during this period, as males 15-24 accounted for
64% of all suicides by Native Americans.3
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Suicide rates are generally higher than the national average in the western
states and lower in the eastern and midwestern states.4
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57% of suicides in 2000 were committed with a firearm.1
Suicide Among the Elderly
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Suicide rates increase with age and are highest among Americans aged 65 years
and older. The ten year period, 1980-1990, was the first decade since the 1940s
that the suicide rate for older residents rose instead of declined.5
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Men accounted for 84% of suicides among persons aged 65 years and older in
2000.1
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From 1980-1998, the largest relative increases in suicide rates occurred among
those 80-84 years of age. The rate for men in this age group increased 17%
(from 43.5 per 100,000 to 52.0).1,6
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Firearms were the most common method of suicide by both males and females, 65
years and older, in 2000, accounting for 79.5% of male and 37% of female
suicides in that age group.1
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Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or
widowed. In 1992, the rate for divorced or widowed men in this age group was
2.7 times that for married men, 1.4 times that for never-married men, and over
17 times that for married women. The rate for divorced or widowed women was 1.8
times that for married women and 1.4 times that for never-married women.6
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Risk factors for suicide among older persons differ from those among the young.
Older persons have a higher prevalence of depression, a greater use of highly
lethal methods and social isolation. They also make fewer attempts per
completed suicide, have a higher-male-to-female ratio than other groups, have
often visited a health-care provider before their suicide, and have more
physical illnesses.7
Suicide Among the Young
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Persons under age 25 accounted for 15% of all suicides in 2000.1 From
1952-1995, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly
tripled. From 1980-1997, the rate of suicide among persons aged 15-19 years
increased by 11% and among persons aged 10-14 years by 109%. From 1980-1996,
the rate increased 105% for African-American males aged 15-19.1,8
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For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death,
behind unintentional injury and homicide. In 1999, more teenagers and young
adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects,
stroke, and chronic lung disease combined.1
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Among persons aged 15-19 years, firearm-related suicides accounted for more
than 60% of the increase in the overall rate of suicide from 1980-1997.1
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The risk for suicide among young people is greatest among young white males;
however, from 1980 through 1995, suicide rates increased most rapidly among
young black males.9 Although suicide among young children is a rare
event, the dramatic increase in the rate among persons aged 10-14 years
underscores the urgent need for intensifying efforts to prevent suicide among
persons in this age group.
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics
Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2002). National Center for
Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(producer). Available from: URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. [2003 March 27].
2. Suicide & Life Threatening Behavior 28(1):1-23, 1998.
3. CDC, Violence Surveillance Summary Series, No. 2. 1996.
4. MMWR 46(34):789-792, 1997.
5. Am J Public Health 81:1198-1200, 1991.
6. MMWR 45(1):3-6, 1996.
7. Aging & Mental Health 1(2):107-111, 1997.
8. MMWR 44(15):289-291, 1995.
9. MMWR 47(10):193-196, 1998.
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