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Since 1941, US suicide rates have soared high when compared to those of 2022, according to CDC reports. The highest suicide rate recorded ever was back in 2022.
After two consecutive years of decline, the US suicide rates are again rising which shows an overlap with the kickoff during Covid-19.
CDC’s most recent data on US suicide rates
According to the most recent data from CDC reports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- National Center for Health Statistics), the age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.2 deaths per 100,000 in the year 2022. It made a total of 49,476 people in the same year.
This suicide rate was similar to that in 2021 and 2018, which accounted for a high level of US suicide rate when compared with 1941. With a closer look into the statistics, a 30 percent rise was noted from the rate 10.9 per 100,000 in 2002 with a 5 percent drop that occurred between 2018 and 2020.
The Associated Press’ views on the current scenario
The Associated Press was of the view that with CDC data, more than 49,300 suicides were reported in 2023 based on the CDC reports, which could still increase in the coming days. The CDC figures remain high, as told by the Associated Press, which was close to the figures of 2022.
US suicide rates, gender-wise
Among males, the suicide rate increased 4.5 percent, which means that there were 22 deaths per 100,000 in 2022 and it became 23 per 100,000 in 2022.
Among females, the rate was even higher; a rise of 7.2 percent showing an increment of 5.5 to 5.9 deaths per 100,000 for the same time period.
The overall suicide rate for males was four to five times higher than for females from 2022 to 2018.
The matters became worse
Based on the data findings of 2021, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. The matters took a serious turn and suicide became the second leading cause of death in just one year, 2022. This rate was even higher for the age group 10-14 years and 20-34 years. It was the third leading cause for the age group 15-19 years for the same year’s data.
Other details revealed that US suicide rates increased among both men and women for the ages 25 years and above from 2020 to 2022. The same rate decreased for males for the age group 14, 15, and 24 years. The rate was the same for the females of the same age.
The most notable type of suicide is…
Firearm-related suicide was on top for both men and women in 2022. Firearm-related suicide was 31 percent for males when it reached 10.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2006. The rate further soared to 13.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2022, which was unaltered from the rate of 2021.
Possible reasons of suicide
The contributing factors are still unknown for a high US suicide rate, however, a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, in January, revealed that increased access to prescription drugs and worsening US economic conditions might possibly be the risk factors for such an alarming state in the US in recent years.
Also, with easy access to drugs, opioids remain the key reason for women to end their own lives. Diminishing federal restrictions is raising eyebrows about the current situation which seems deteriorating and uncontrollable in the next few years.
Another research explored the same reasons and the results showed that declining mental health due to greater use of social media and escalated possession rate of firearms are two prime reasons for greater suicide rates in US adolescents.
Daniel Simon, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and research affiliate said, “We contend that the US federal government’s weak regulatory oversight of the pharmaceutical industry and tattered social safety nets have significantly shaped US suicide risk”.
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