As I wrote in my post older this month, September is Suicide Prevention Sensation Month. The month is an important time for us to have the conversations we need well-nigh suicide and suicide prevention. In wing to having conversations and sharing stories, it’s moreover important to share data and statistics that help frame the conversation and spread awareness. Today, I want to share some important statistics in an effort to spread sensation well-nigh the growth and prevalence of suicide as a public health issue.

From the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (data from 2021):

• Suicide is the 11th leading rationalization of death in the United States
• In 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide
• In 2021, there were an unscientific 1.70M suicide attempts
• The rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged white men.
• In 2021, men died by suicide 3.90x increasingly than women.
• On average, there are 132 suicides per day.
• 94% of adults surveyed in the U.S. think suicide can be prevented.

From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Overall, the number of deaths by suicide increased from 2021 to 2022 by 2.6 percent
• In 2021, 12.3 million adults seriously thought well-nigh suicide
• 3.5 million adults made a plan
• Suicide rates increased 37% between 2000-2018 and decreased 5% between 2018-2020. However, rates nearly returned to their peak in 2021.

Additionally, the CDC moreover reported that in a recent survey 22% of upper school students said that they had seriously considered suicide within the past year, up from 16% in 2011. Eighteen percent said that they had made a suicide plan, and 10% said they attempted suicide at least once, compared with 13% and 8%, respectively, 10 years earlier. All demographic groups wideness race, ethnicity, and sex experienced increases in suicide risk since 2011.

From the Trevor Project:

• Suicide is the second leading rationalization of death among young people weather-beaten 10 to 24 — and LGBTQ youth are at significantly increased risk.
• 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including increasingly than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
• The Trevor Project’s research has found that they were 2.5 times increasingly likely to report a suicide struggle in the past year (33%) compared to their LGBTQ peers (14%).

From the National Alliance on Mental Illness:

• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people weather-beaten 10-14 and the 3rd leading rationalization of death among those weather-beaten 15-24 in the U.S.
• 46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition
• 90% of people who die by suicide may have experienced symptoms of a mental health condition, equal to interviews with family, friends and medical professionals (also known as psychological autopsy)

These numbers paint a pretty well-spoken picture of what suicide and suicide prevention squint like in the United States. In order to have a discussion virtually suicide, it’s imperative that we know what we’re up against. The data shows that over the past few decades, the numbers have drastically gone up when it comes to suicide. And rather than ignore these numbers and treat them like an anomaly, we should include them in our conversations surrounding mental illness, mental health and suicide.

While I know sharing these statistics might seem pessimistic or disheartening, my goal is to do the opposite. Sharing these statistics like this can help spread sensation and educate people well-nigh the prevalence of suicide. Hopefully by sharing information like this, we can modernize the way we tideway suicide and suicide prevention.