Suicide rates rise significantly in the US, CDC report reveals

Young girl with depression

US suicide rates have increased 30 percent in the past two decades, according to a June report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the report, in 2016 alone, about 45,000 people committed suicide.


"Suicide in this country is really a problem. It's not just a mental health issue," CDC deputy director and lead author Deborah Stone told NPR. "There are a lot of different circumstances and factors that contribute to suicide, and that's one of the things this study really shows us." He points to the need for a comprehensive approach to prevention, "he added.

The northern US region had the highest increase in suicide rates compared to the rest of the US. North Dakota had the highest increase, a rate of 57.6% since 1999. Delaware recorded the smallest increase - 5.9% - while Nevada was the only state that did not experience a rise in numbers.

"First, there is no doubt that numbers are increasing, but there are fluctuations every year as well," said Dan Reidenberg, executive director of the nonprofit Educational Voices for Suicide Awareness, Sputnik.

"So while there has been a small increase in recent years, rates have increased by 30% nationally between 1999 and 2016. However, we do not know how much of this 'increase' is simply due to better reports and better data sets than previously existed, "he added.

The US financial crisis in 2008 and the current opiate crisis, in which unprecedented numbers of Americans are dying of drug dependence, may also have contributed to rising suicide rates.

"The economic tsunami that hit the country in 2008 and the recession led to many problems, including unemployment, loss of housing, health problems, retirement, etc., which definitely affected the number of suicides," added Reidenberg.

The role of the media in suicide also can not be ignored, according to Reidenberg. He says the press has positive and negative impacts on suicide numbers, although he says his influence is more positive overall.

"The more the press reports suicides without following best practices, suicides occur and increase, and in recent years the press has been covering this issue more frequently. Entertainment also influences suicide increases in stories and often affects suicides .That's where the actual contagion factors in suicide increases. "

"Social media has positive and sometimes negative impacts on suicides, and it positively helps with connections, support, resources, opportunities for early identification and intervention." Negatively, we had some online bullying that led to suicidal attempts and thoughts, comparisons, over-time on-line, etc., "Reidenberg said.

According to the CDC, more than half of people who lose their lives for suicide do not have a mental health condition diagnosed at the time of their death, suggesting that suicide is not caused by a single factor.

"Instead, these people were suffering from other issues such as relationship issues, substance abuse, physical health problems, financial or employment problems, and recent crises or things that were emerging in their lives," Stone told NPR.

In addition, the report revealed that more than half of all suicides are committed with firearms, followed by hangings or suffocation and poisoning.

The report also recommends that states address suicide prevention comprehensively, involving cooperation among multiple sectors of society. Communities must work to reduce access to firearms, especially among people at risk of suicide, and seek to promote enabling environments for people to feel connected.

According to Reidenberg, much more research is needed to better understand and prevent suicide.

"We need a lot more research to better understand suicide to prevent it, while we ask people to see a doctor if they are thinking about suicide," he said.