Suicide
If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Suicide is a major public health concern. Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Based on recent nationwide surveys, suicide in some populations is on the rise.
Definitions
- Suicide is defined as death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior.
- A suicide attempt is a non-fatal, self-directed, potentially injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior. A suicide attempt might not result in injury.
- Suicidal ideation refers to thinking about, considering, or planning suicide.
Additional information about suicide can be found on the NIMH health topics page on Suicide Prevention.
Suicide is a Leading Cause of Death in the United States
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, in 2018:
- Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 48,000 people.
- Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.
- There were more than two and a half times as many suicides (48,344) in the United States as there were homicides (18,830).
Table 1 shows the ten leading causes of death in the United States, and the number of deaths attributed to each cause. Data are shown for all ages and select age groups where suicide was one of the leading ten causes of death in 2018. The data are based on death certificate information compiled by the CDC.
Table 1
Select Age Groups | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | 10-14 | 15-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | All Ages | |
1 | Unintentional Injury 692 |
Unintentional Injury 12,044 |
Unintentional Injury 24,614 |
Unintentional Injury 22,667 |
Malignant Neoplasms 37,301 |
Malignant Neoplasms 113,947 |
Heart Disease 655,381 |
|
2 | Suicide 596 |
Suicide 6,211 |
Suicide 8,020 |
Malignant Neoplasms 10,640 |
Heart Disease 32,220 |
Heart Disease 81,042 |
Malignant Neoplasms 599,274 |
|
3 | Malignant Neoplasms 450 |
Homicide 4,607 |
Homicide 5,234 |
Heart Disease 10,532 |
Unintentional Injury 23,056 |
Unintentional Injury 23,693 |
Unintentional Injury 167,127 |
|
4 | Congenital Abnormalities 172 |
Malignant Neoplasms 1,371 |
Malignant Neoplasms 3,684 |
Suicide 7,521 |
Suicide 8,345 |
CLRD 18,804 |
CLRD 159,486 |
|
5 | Homicide 168 |
Heart Disease 905 |
Heart |
Homicide 3,304 |
Liver Disease 8,157 |
Diabetes Mellitus 14,941 |
Cerebro- vascular 147,810 |
|
6 | Heart Disease 101 |
Congenital Anomalies 354 |
Liver |
Liver Disease 3,108 |
Diabetes Mellitus 6,414 |
Liver Disease 13,945 |
Alzheimer’s Disease 122,019 |
|
7 | CLRD 64 |
Diabetes Mellitus 246 |
Diabetes Mellitus 837 |
Diabetes Mellitus 2,282 |
Cerebro- vascular 5,128 |
Cerebro- vascular 12,789 |
Diabetes Mellitus 84,946 |
|
8 | Cerebro- vascular 54 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 200 |
Cerebro- vascular 567 |
Cerebro- vascular 1,704 |
CLRD 3,807 |
Suicide 8,540 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 59,120 |
|
9 | Influenza |
CLRD 165 |
HIV 482 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 956 |
Septicemia 2,380 |
Septicemia 5,956 |
Nephritis 51,386 |
|
10 | Benign Neoplasms 30 |
Complicated Pregnancy 151 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 457 |
Septicemia 829 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 2,339 |
Influenza & Pneumonia 5,858 |
Suicide 48,344 |
CLRD: Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
Suicide Rates
Data in Figure 1 and Figure 2 are courtesy of the CDC ’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS Data Brief No. 362, April 2020).
Trends over Time
- Suicide rates are based on the number of people who have died by suicide per 100,000 population. Because changes in population size are taken into account, rates allow for comparisons from one year to the next.
- Figure 1 shows age-adjusted suicide rates in the United States for each year from 1999 through 2018 for the total population, and for males and females presented separately.
- During that 20-year period, the total suicide rate in the United States increased 35% from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999 to 14.2 per 100,000 in 2018.
- In 2018, the suicide rate among males was 3.7 times higher (22.8 per 100,000) than among females (6.2 per 100,000).
Figure 1
Year | Total Population | Female | Male |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 17.8 |
2000 | 10.4 | 4.0 | 17.7 |
2001 | 10.7 | 4.1 | 18.2 |
2002 | 11.0 | 4.2 | 18.5 |
2003 | 10.8 | 4.2 | 18.1 |
2004 | 11.0 | 4.5 | 18.1 |
2005 | 10.9 | 4.4 | 18.1 |
2006 | 11.0 | 4.5 | 18.1 |
2007 | 11.3 | 4.7 | 18.5 |
2008 | 11.6 | 4.8 | 19.0 |
2009 | 11.8 | 4.9 | 19.2 |
2010 | 12.1 | 5.0 | 19.8 |
2011 | 12.3 | 5.2 | 20.0 |
2012 | 12.5 | 5.4 | 20.3 |
2013 | 12.6 | 5.5 | 20.2 |
2014 | 13.0 | 5.8 | 20.7 |
2015 | 13.3 | 6.0 | 21.0 |
2016 | 13.4 | 6.0 | 21.3 |
2017 | 14.0 | 6.1 | 22.4 |
2018 | 14.2 | 6.2 | 22.8 |
Demographics
- Because suicide rates take population size into account, they can be a useful tool for understanding the relative proportion of people affected within different demographic groups.
- Figure 2 shows the crude rates of suicide within sex and age categories in 2018.
- Among females, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 45-64 (10.2 per 100,000).
- Among males, the suicide rate was highest for those aged 75 and older (39.9 per 100,000).
Figure 2
Age | Female | Male |
---|---|---|
10–14 | 2.0 | 3.7 |
15–24 | 5.8 | 22.7 |
25–44 | 7.9 | 27.7 |
45–64 | 9.8 | 31.0 |
65–74 | 6.2 | 27.8 |
75+ | 4.0 | 39.9 |
- Figure 3 shows the rates of suicide for race/ethnicity groups in 2018 based on data from the CDC’s WISQARS Fatal Injury Data Visualization Tool.
- The crude rates of suicide were highest for American Indian, Non-Hispanic males (34.8 per 100,000) and females (10.5 per 100,000), followed by White, Non-Hispanic males (30.4 per 100,000) and females (8.3 per 100,000).
Figure 3
Race | Female | Male |
---|---|---|
Hispanic* | 2.9 | 12.1 |
White | 8.3 | 30.4 |
Black | 2.9 | 12.0 |
Asian/PI | 4.1 | 10.8 |
AI | 10.5 | 34.8 |
*Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; all other racial/ethnic groups are non-Hispanic AI = American Indian, PI = Pacific Islander
Suicide Rates by State
- Suicide rates are not the same from state to state. Based on data from the CDC WISQARS Fatal Injury Data Visualization Tool, Figure 4 shows a map of the United States with each state’s age-adjusted suicide rate in 2018 indicated by color.
Figure 4
Suicide by Method
Data in Table 2 and Figure 5 are courtesy of the CDC WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports.
Number of Suicide Deaths by Method
- Table 2 includes information on the total number of suicides for the most common methods.
- In 2018, firearms were the most common method used in suicide deaths in the United States, accounting for about half of all suicide deaths (24,432).
Table 2
Suicide Method | Number of Deaths |
---|---|
Total | 48,344 |
Firearm | 24,432 |
Suffocation | 13,840 |
Poisoning | 6,237 |
Other | 3,835 |
Percent of Suicide Deaths by Method
- Figure 5 shows the percentages of suicide deaths by method among males and females in 2018. Among males, the most common methods of suicide were firearm (55.9%) followed by suffocation (28.3%). Among females, the most common methods of suicide were firearm (31.5%), suffocation (29.9%), and poisoning (29.3%).
Figure 5
Sex | Other | Poisoning | Suffocation | Firearm |
---|---|---|---|---|
Female | 9.3 | 29.3 | 29.9 | 31.5 |
Male | 7.5 | 8.3 | 28.3 | 55.9 |
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among U.S. Adults
Data in Figure 6, Figure 7, and Figure 8 are based on data from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)1 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Figure 6 shows that 4.8% of adults age 18 and older in the United States had serious thoughts about suicide in 2019.
- Among adults across all age groups, the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was highest among young adults aged 18-25 (11.8%).
- The prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was highest among adults age 18 and older who report having multiple (two or more) race (6.9%).
Figure 6
Demographic | Percent | |
---|---|---|
Overall | 4.8 | |
Sex | Female | 5.1 |
Male | 4.5 | |
Age | 18-25 | 11.8 |
26-49 | 5.3 | |
50+ | 2.4 | |
Race/Ethnicity | *Hispanic or Latino | 5.0 |
White | 5.0 | |
Black or African American | 4.0 | |
Asian | 3.6 | |
NH/OPI | 2.3 | |
AI/AN | 5.1 | |
2 or More | 6.9 |
* Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; all other racial/ethnic groups are non-Hispanic NH/OPI = Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander / AI/AN = American Indian / Alaskan Native
- Figure 7 shows that in 2019, 0.6% of adults age 18 and older in the United States report they attempted suicide in in the past year.
- Among adults across all age groups, the prevalence of suicide attempt in the past year was highest among young adults 18-25 years old (1.8%).
- Among adults age 18 and older, the prevalence of suicide attempts in the past year was highest among those who report having multiple (two or more) races (1.5%).
Figure 7
Demographic | Percent | |
---|---|---|
Overall | 0.6 | |
Sex | Female | 0.7 |
Male | 0.4 | |
Age | 18-25 | 1.8 |
26-49 | 0.6 | |
50+ | 0.2 | |
Race/Ethnicity | *Hispanic or Latino | 0.6 |
White | 0.5 | |
Black or African American | 0.8 | |
Asian | 0.4 | |
NH/OPI | 0.4 | |
AI/AN | 0.5 | |
2 or More | 1.5 |
* Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; all other racial/ethnic groups are non-Hispanic. NH/OPI = Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander / AI/AN = American Indian / Alaskan Native
- Figure 8 shows that in 2019, 12.0 million adults aged 18 or older reported having serious thoughts of suicide, and 1.4 million adults attempted suicide during the past year.
Figure 8
Data Sources
Statistical Methods and Measurement Caveats
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
Population:
- NSDUH participants are representative of the civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 12 years old or older residing within the United States. Only adults 18 years and older are asked about suicidal thoughts and behavior.
- The survey covers residents of households (persons living in houses/townhouses, apartments, condominiums; civilians living in housing on military bases, etc.) and persons in non-institutional group quarters (e.g., shelters, rooming/boarding houses, college dormitories, migratory workers' camps, and halfway houses).
- The survey does not cover persons who, for the entire year, had no fixed address (e.g., homeless and/or transient persons not in shelters); were on active military duty; or who resided in institutional group quarters (e.g., correctional facilities, nursing homes, mental institutions, long-term hospitals).
Interview Response and Completion:
- In 2019, 35.1% of the NSDUH adult sample did not complete the interview.
- Reasons for non-response to interviewing include: refusal to participate (23.9%); respondent unavailable or never at home (6.2%); and various other reasons, such as physical/mental incompetence or language barriers (5.0%).
- People with suicidal behavior may disproportionately fall into these non-response categories. While NSDUH weighting includes non-response adjustments to reduce bias, these adjustments may not fully account for differential non-response by suicide behavior status.
Please see the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Methodological Summary and Definitions report for further information on how these data were collected and calculated.
If You are in Crisis
If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential.
Additional Resources
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