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.

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.

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).

, in 2018: 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 Download PNG image Download PDF file

Leading Cause of Death in the United States (2018)

Data Courtesy of CDC 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

Disease

3,561 Homicide

3,304 Liver

Disease

8,157 Diabetes

Mellitus

14,941 Cerebro-

vascular

147,810 6 Heart

Disease

101 Congenital

Anomalies

354 Liver

Disease

1,008 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

& Pneumonia

51 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 Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates in the United States (1999-2018) 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 Suicide Rates by Age (per 100,000; 2018) 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 Suicide Rates by Race (per 100,000; 2018) 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 Download PNG image Download PDF file

Suicide by Method (2018)

Data Courtesy of CDC 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 Percentage of Suicide Deaths by Method in the United States (2018) 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 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)1 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Figure 6 shows that 4.3% of adults age 18 and older in the United States had serious thoughts about suicide in 2018. Among adults across all age groups, the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was highest among young adults aged 18-25 (11.0%). The prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was highest among adults age 18 and older who report having multiple (two or more) race (7.4%).

Figure 6 Past Year Prevalence of Suicidal Thoughts Among U.S. Adults (2018) Demographic Percent Overall 4.3 Sex Female 4.6 Male 4.1 Age 18-25 11.0 26-49 4.7 50+ 2.1 Race/Ethnicity *Hispanic or Latino 3.7 White 4.6 Black or African American 4.1 Asian 2.9 NH/OPI 3.6 AI/AN 5.8 2 or More 7.4 * 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 2018, 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 attempts in the past year was highest among adults aged 18-25 years old (1.9%). Among adults across all age groups, the prevalence of suicide attempt in the past year was highest among young adults 18-25 years old (1.9%). 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 Past Year Prevalence of Suicide Attempts Among U.S. Adults (2018) Demographic Percent Overall 0.6 Sex Female 0.7 Male 0.5 Age 18-25 1.9 26-49 0.4 50+ 0.3 Race/Ethnicity *Hispanic or Latino 0.5 White 0.5 Black 0.7 Asian 0.6 **NH/OPI AI/AN 1.0 2 or More 1.3 * 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 ** = Percentage not reported due to low precision Figure 8 shows that in 2018, 10.7 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 2018, 33.4% of the NSDUH adult sample did not complete the interview.

Reasons for non-response to interviewing include: refusal to participate (23.1%); respondent unavailable or never at home (5.4%); and various other reasons, such as physical/mental incompetence or language barriers (4.9%).

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 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Methodological Summary and Definitions report for further information on how these data were collected and calculated.