ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and in 2022 alone, 49,476 Americans died by suicide in an estimated 1.6 million attempts, according to statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
“In 2022, rates were highest for adults ages 85+ years (23.02 per 100,000) and next highest for those 75 to 84 years (20.26 per 100,000). Compared with rates in 2021, the suicide rates increased for those age 35 and older and decreased for those age 34 and below,” the AFSP noted. “Youth below age 25 have had consistently lower suicide rates than middle-aged and older adults. In 2022, adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 rates declined from 15.15 per 100,000 to a suicide rate of 13.62 per 100,000. In 2022, the highest U.S. age-adjusted suicide rate was among American Indians and Alaskan Natives (16.11 per 100,000) and the second highest rate was among Whites (15.83 per 100,000). Much lower rates were found among Black or African Americans (8.60 per 100,000) and Asians and Pacific Islanders (6.93 per 100,000).”
A new CDC ‘Vital Signs’ report released last week highlights the role that conditions in counties, such as insurance coverage, broadband internet access, and household income, can play in lowering suicide risk.
According to the CDC report, compared to counties with the lowest levels of these factors, suicide rates were:
• 26 percent lower in counties with the highest health insurance coverage
• 44 percent lower in counties where most homes have broadband internet access
• 13 percent lower in counties with the most household income.
“These findings reinforce other studies that show that the conditions where people are born, grow, live, work, and age can play an important role in shaping suicide prevention efforts,” the CDC report noted. “Suicide rates have increased during the last 20 years and remain high. Tragically, more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022, and provisional data indicate a similar number of people died by suicide in 2023.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34, and other groups continue to have high rates: American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons (27.1 per 100,000), males (23.0 per 100,000), rural residents (20.0 per 100,000), and people aged 45-64 (19 per 100,000).
"Every suicide death is tragic, leaving behind devastated families, friends and communities," Dr. Debra Houry, CDC's chief medical officer, noted in the CDC report. “Every day, CDC invests in research and data that help reduce the risk of suicide. What we learn, we put into action by designing programs that can save lives and reduce suffering. This report adds to our ever-growing knowledge base of suicide risk factors and will contribute to how we shape future suicide prevention efforts. My hope is our scientific work and programs to prevent suicides will lead to fewer loved ones being left behind. This latest ‘Vital Signs’ report also explores the association of these three factors with suicide rates overall, and what these relationships look like in groups most affected by suicide-- all to help inform suicide prevention programs in communities across the country. Preventing suicide requires multiple interventions. This ‘Vital Signs’ report stresses the importance of a comprehensive approach to prevent suicide in the first place, and support people at increased risk. Improving conditions in communities can include strengthening household financial security so people can afford food, housing, and medical expenses; fostering healthy connections through community engagement that build social networks; and increasing healthcare provider availability and rapid and remote access to telehealth, mental health services, and crisis intervention, especially in underserved areas.”
“Improving the conditions where people are born, grow, live, work, and age is an often overlooked aspect of suicide prevention. Public health programs that improve conditions in communities, such as those funded by CDC’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program, can help people avoid reaching a crisis point.” Alison Cammack, Ph.D., M.P.H., CDC health scientist and lead author of the report, noted in the CDC report.
CDC continues to take action to prevent suicide by:
• Providing data systems, scientific and technical expertise, strong collaboration, and funding to state health departments, tribes and tribal organizations, territories, academic institutions, and other local coalitions and organizations to help prevent suicide.
• Funding 28 programs around the country to carry out comprehensive suicide prevention programs using proven strategies from CDC's Suicide Prevention Resource for Action. These strategies are focused on populations most affected by suicide.
• Supporting rapid response in communities to investigate unexpected increases in suicides in a particular location and/or over a certain time frame. These events, known as suicide clusters, often require emergency assistance from CDC experts rapidly deployed to states, tribes, and communities.
“Everyone can help prevent suicide by learning the warning signs, promoting prevention and resilience, and committing to social change,” the CDC release noted. “Watch for the signs of increased suicide risk, such as isolation, loss, mental illness, and substance use. Act with these five steps to help save the life of someone who may be suicidal: Ask, Be There, Keep Them Safe, Help Them Connect, and Follow Up. It is also recommended to share resources from CDC and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline public participation site.”
