Suicide Fast Facts

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Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming about 30,000 lives a year.
Ninety percent of persons who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.
Every day, 14 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 commit suicide; that's approximately 1 every 100 minutes.
Suicide attempts are among the leading causes of hospital admissions in persons under 35.
Men are more than four times as likely as women to commit suicide. However, women attempt suicide about twice as often as men do.
The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over the age of 85.
Suicide can be prevented.

For more information, contact:
SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
800-789-2647
mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
11/21/00

Resources

American Association of Suicidology
4201 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 408
Washington, DC 20008
202-237-2280
www.suicidology.org
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10005
212-363-3500 or 888-333-2377
www.afsp.org
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
3615 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016-3007
202-966-7300 or 800-333-7636
www.aacap.org
American Psychiatric Association
1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825
Arlington, VA 22209-3901
703-907-7300
www.psych.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
703-524-7600
www.nami.org
National Mental Health Association
2001 N. Beauregard Street - 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
703-684-7722 or 800-969-6642
www.nmha.org

These are suggested resources.
It is not meant to be a complete list.
FastFact3
11/21/00