

Suicide mortality then dropped markedly over the 1990s, across sex, age groups, and races/ethnicities, reaching a historical low of 10.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 ( 76).Īfter 2000, suicide rates in the United States entered a two-decade phase of uninterrupted increase that affected 44 of 50 US states and every sociodemographic group, though the largest increases were among men aged 45–64, in rural areas, and for suicide by methods other than firearm ( 114). Rates between 19, however, evolved heterogeneously across age groups: Suicide mortality decreased among individuals aged >54, did not change substantially among individuals aged 35–54, and increased among individuals aged 15–34, with patterns suggesting the presence of both period and cohort effects ( 73). Between 19, US suicide mortality remained roughly stable between 12 and 14 deaths per 100,000, with notable dips during the early 1950s and 1980s and a subtle increasing trend over the 1960s and 1970s ( 110). By 1942, the highest suicide rates affected individuals aged 75 years or older, a pattern that lasted until the twenty-first century ( 73). Suicide rates then decreased sustainedly until the end of World War II, across all age groups but especially among those aged 45–74 years. This decrease was followed by a marked increase, further accelerated during the Great Depression, leading to a historical peak of 21.9 suicides per 100,000 in 1932-with the highest suicide rates among adults aged 55–74 years-at ∼50 suicides per 100,000. During World War I, suicide decreased in the United States, reaching a minimum rate of 13.4 suicides per 100,000 in 1920 ( 25). Between 19, age-standardized suicide mortality in the United States was roughly stable at ∼18–21 suicides per 100,000 (including all age groups and standardized to the 2000 US standard population).
#The suicide of rachel foster explained registration
Information on suicide mortality in the United States before 1900 is scarce, consisting of suicide counts for only a few states and years ( 124), and cannot be compared with data based on modern registration standards, which were established in the early twentieth century. 2. TRENDS IN SUICIDE IN THE UNITED STATES Nonfatal suicidal behaviors have unique trends and risk markers, and a detailed discussion of these differences is beyond the scope of the current manuscript. Throughout this review, we focus on suicide mortality specifically. We conclude by looking into the future, urging researchers and decision makers to couple recent advances in population-based suicide prevention with a socially conscious perspective that captures the social, economic, and political context where suicide risk unfolds over the life course of vulnerable individuals. Next, we discuss recent US suicide mortality trends in the global context. We then review potential group-level causes of increased suicide risk among subpopulations characterized by specific markers of vulnerability to suicide these markers include geography, age, race and ethnicity, sexual and gender minoritization, military membership, and incarceration. We begin by reviewing US suicide mortality trends over the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This article summarizes suicide trends in the United States and reviews the existing evidence on the causes underlying the recent rise of suicide mortality. Accordingly, suicide in the United States constitutes a major public health crisis, in urgent need of solutions. During this time, suicide mortality increased or remained stable among all other racial/ethnic groups, and little is known about recent suicide trends among other vulnerable groups.

This decline was due primarily to a slight decrease in the suicide rate among White persons. US suicide rates decreased modestly in 2019 ( 113), generating a new atmosphere of guarded optimism. In the United States, however, suicide rates increased by 35% between 20 ( 52, 114), contributing notably to the stagnation and subsequent decrease in US life expectancy ( 134). Globally, suicide mortality has decreased over the last three decades ( 85). Death by suicide has a profound impact on society, affecting families and communities over generations. Suicide is the leading cause of violent death worldwide and accounts for 1.5% of global mortality ( 127).
