Suicide

I

Introduction

Suicide, intentional, self-inflicted death. A uniquely human act, suicide occurs in all cultures. People who attempt or complete suicide usually suffer from extreme emotional pain and distress and feel unable to cope with their problems. They are likely to suffer from mental illness, particularly severe depression, and to feel hopeless about the future.

II

Prevalence and Trends

Suicide ranks as a leading cause of death worldwide, making it a significant public-health problem. In addition, some researchers believe official statistics underestimate the actual number of suicides.

A

In the United States

In the United States, suicide ranks in the top ten causes of death, accounting for about 1.5 percent of all deaths. The annual number of suicides has averaged about 30,000 since the late 1980s and has consistently exceeded the annual number of homicides. The suicide rate (number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people) in the United States has remained relatively stable since the 1950s, ranging between 10 and 13 per 100,000 each year.

The suicide rate varies by age group. Of all age groups, the elderly have the highest suicide rates, particularly white men over the age of 75. The increased rate of suicide among elderly people appears mostly due to the debilitating effects of physical illness, loss of social roles and relationships, and untreated depression. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24. Suicide rates for this age group almost tripled from 1950 to 1990, going from a rate of 4.5 in 1950 to a rate of 13.1 in 1990. The reasons for this increase are not entirely clear, but researchers have associated it with a greater prevalence of mental illness in young people, an increased use of drugs in this population, and the increased availability of firearms in the home. However, the suicide rate for youth aged 15 to 24 declined slightly after 1995, holding steady at about 10 per 100,000.

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Suicide rates also vary between men and women and between ethnic groups. Men complete about 80 percent of all suicides, at a rate four times as high as women. However, women attempt suicide three times as frequently as men. Among men, whites have the highest suicide rate, followed by Native Americans. White men and women account for about 90 percent of all suicides.

B

In Other Countries

Canada’s suicide rate has historically been similar to or slightly higher than that of the United States. More than 3,500 suicides are recorded in Canada each year, at a rate of about 13 per 100,000. Countries with the highest reported suicide rates include Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and Latvia. Countries with the lowest reported suicide rates include Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. An accurate comparison of suicide rates among countries is difficult because of the unreliability of official suicide statistics and varying methods of certifying how deaths occurred.

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