Suicide deaths in the United States reached a record high of 49,000 in 2022, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 10. This was a 2.6% increase over the previous year. More than half of all United States suicide in 2022 involved firearms, according to the figures from CDC.
"Nine in 10 Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis. The new suicide death data reported by CDC illustrates why," U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. He added that people still believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness.
The suicide rate in 2022 is 14.9 deaths for every 100,000 people, which is 5% higher than the previous record high of 14.2 deaths for every 100,000 people in the year 2018. The deaths by suicide rose from 48,183 in 2021 to an estimated 49,449 deaths in 2022, CDC added.
The suicide rates in the US increased steadily from the early 2000s until 2018 and reached their highest level since 1941 with 48,300 suicide deaths that year-- which is 14.2 per 100,000 Americans. The rate slightly declined in 2019 and dropped again in 2020 during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, possibly due to a sense of unity seen in the early stages of wars and natural disasters. But in 2021, suicides rose by 4%.
The latest data shows a further increase of over 1,000 suicides in the past year, totaling 49,449 which is a 3% rise compared to the previous year. The data also showed that approximately 79 percent of the suicides in 2022 are by men.
According to experts, the recent increase might be driven by a range of factors, including higher rates of depression and limited availability of mental health services.
A recent study by Johns Hopkins University used preliminary 2022 data to calculate that the overall gun suicide rate in the US rose last year to an all-time high. The researchers also found that the gun suicide rate among Black teens surpassed the rate among white teens.
The largest increase was seen in older adults. There's an approximately 7% increase in deaths in people aged 45 to 64 and more than 8% in people aged 65 and older, CDC reports. With increased awareness regarding mental health issues for youth, a drop of over 8.4% in suicides was seen in people aged 10 to 24 years in 2022, the report suggested.
The reports also show that American Indians and Alaska Natives saw the largest percentage decrease in suicide deaths, dropping 6.1% from last year.
