US Suicide Deaths Reached Record high in 2022, Govt Data Shows – News18

The number of people who died by suicide in the United States reached a record 49,000 in 2022, government data showed on Thursday. This figure was a 2.6 percent increase over the prior year. Over half of all suicides in the country that occurred in 2022 involved firearms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Nine in 10 Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis. The new suicide death data reported by CDC illustrates why,” US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. Becerra added that many people still believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

The top US disease prevention agency has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests a surge in suicides not seen since the dawn of World War II.

Suicide is a complex issue, potentially driven by several factors such as higher depression rates and limited mental health services.

An analysis by Johns Hopkins University, using preliminary 2022 data, found that the nation’s overall gun suicide rate reached an all-time high last year. Notably, the gun suicide rate among Black teenagers exceeded that of white teenagers for the first time.

US suicides increased steadily from the early 2000s until 2018, reaching its highest level since 1941 with about 48,300 suicide deaths that year (14.2 per 100,000 Americans).

The rate slightly declined in 2019 and dropped again in 2020 during the initial COVID-19 pandemic year, possibly due to a sense of unity seen in the early stages of wars and natural disasters.

However, in 2021, suicides rose by 4%. The latest data reveals a further increase of over 1,000 suicides in the past year, totaling 49,449 — a 3% rise compared to the previous year.

(Inputs from multiple agencies)