Suicide Awareness: Rates and Statistics

September is National Suicide Awareness Month, and September 5 to September 11 is National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide crosses all age groups, races, ethnicities, and class lines, proving that mental health struggles can impact anyone.

Prevalence

In February 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published their 2019 Statistics Fatal Injury report. This report outlines that suicide accounted for 47 511 deaths in the US, making it the 10th leading cause of death among Americans. It is also estimated that 1.38 million people attempted suicide in 2019.

The report also shows that there are approximately 130 suicides per day, with 69.4% being White males. In fact, men died by suicide 3.63 times more often than women. The 2019 data show the age-adjusted rate was 13.93 per 100 000 people, and 50.93% of all suicides were committed using firearms.

Suicide in Adolescents

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, suicide is the second leading cause of death in adolescents aged 10 to 17 years. Unlike the overall data that includes all age groups, the rates in adolescents are slightly higher among young, White females. It has also been found that 18.8% of US high school students have seriously contemplated suicide, with 15.7% having made a suicide plan and 8.9% attempting suicide at least once.

Impacts of the Pandemic on Clinicians and Their Practice

Recent studies have also shown that health care workers, especially nurses, have struggled with suicidal ideation while working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the pandemic has increased mental health struggles leading to an increased risk of suicide across all demographics.

Screening Tools

Mental health and general practice clinicians have been diligently working to utilize suicide screening tools for individuals struggling with mental health disorders during intake and wellness appointments. Pediatricians and school counselors have also been implementing increased mental health and suicide screening tools during well checks and check-in sessions to assist parents in combating the increasing number of adolescent suicides.

Some of the available suicide screening tools include the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the PHQ-9–Modified for Teens (PHQ-9-M), the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) Toolkit, and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). All should be administered by a health care professional, trained in interpreting the results and able to advise on care and treatment next steps.

As the Delta variant of the COVID-19 pandemic surges across the country, it is important to remain vigilant in suicide screenings in addition to regular mental health screenings. The fear of becoming ill, returning to social isolation, increasing demands on health care workers, and so on will weigh heavily on individuals over the coming months.

Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264.