Despite efforts to curb suicide, including the destigmatization of addressing mental health issues and the creation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, current data shows trends heading in the wrong direction.
The National Center for Health Statistics shared on Thursday in its latest report that suicide rates are peaking once again as they did in 2018.
The report highlights that despite an age-adjusted decline in suicide rates from their decades-high from 2018 to 2020, rates are back on the climb, having spiked from 2020 to 2022.
“The rate in 2022, which was the same as the rate in 2018, marks the highest age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States since 1941,” the report noted.
Overall, the report found that suicide was the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States in 2022 and even more prominent among America’s youngest population.
For people ages 10 to 14 and 20 to 34, suicide was the second leading cause of death, while for people ages 15 to 19, it was the third leading cause.
The data further showed that suicide rates generally increased between 2020 and 2022 for women 25 and older. For boys aged 10 to 24, rates decreased but generally increased for men older than 24.
While younger men and boys are trending in the right direction, the report stressed the persistent disparity in suicide rates among males.
“The suicide rate for males was three to four times the rate for females across the period,” the report added.
Firearm-related suicide was the leading means of suicide for males and females in 2022, the report noted.
If you are struggling and need assistance, or someone you know is, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting 988. The lifeline also has a chat feature online here.