U.S. suicide rates are up a shocking 24 percent since 1999
Sad but true: U.S. suicide rates are up a shocking 24 percent since 1999. This news comes after a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
From the years 1999-2014, suicide rates have been on the rise by 1-2 percent every year, according to the report from the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC. This is an alarming change from last decade when suicide rates went down.
U.S. suicide rates are up a shocking 24 percent since 1999 – from 10.5 per every 100,000 people to 13 per every 100K, according to the CDC.
“We don’t know why. We would like to know why,” Jane Pearson, chair of the Suicide Research Consortium at National Institute of Mental Health, told ABC News. “Knowing it’s going up, we are concerned, but we are not surprised because we have seen this trend happening.”
Pearson noted that the increase was not a huge jump in contrast, but also that there is cause for concern.
The trend of increase affected both men and women.
Pearson stated that there is not enough funding to study or prevent suicide.
“For the tenth leading cause of death, it’s a relatively underfunded area,” Pearson said, emphasizing the need for more research. “How do we make kids stronger, more resilient … so they can handle all kinds of life stresses?”
Dr. Russell Rothman, a physician and assistant vice chancellor for population health research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, believes that the rise is very concerning, considering the campaigns that address suicide.
“The fact that we’re seeing increasing rates particularly among women — it’s probably multifactorially related to economic pressure, social pressure, our culture around acceptance [and stigma] of suicide,” Rothman said.
In the past few years, mental health has started to gain more attention, and in a good way. While suicide rates are up, mental illnesses are finally starting to be treated as legitimate illnesses rather than a social stigma. We hope this new outlook on mental health starts to bring the suicide rates downward.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or have attempted suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline immediately:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255.
The number is active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also visit their website.
The report showing that the U.S. suicide rates are up a shocking 24 percent since 1999 is published on the CDC website.
Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
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REFERENCES:
1. “U.S. Suicide Rate Up 24 Percent Since 1999: CDC.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
2. “US Suicide Rate Increases 24 Percent Over 15 Years, CDC Study Finds.” ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
3. “Suicide Rates for Females and Males by Race and Ethnicity: United States, 1999 and 2014.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
