Last year, 135 people committed suicide every day, while suicide rates in the US remained at record highs

Nearly six Americans committed suicide every hour last year, data shows – while U.S. suicide rates remained at the highest levels in the country’s history.

Preliminary data from the CDC showed that 49,300 suicide deaths were recorded in 2023, similar to the 49,500 recorded the year before – one of the highest figures ever.

A full report published today on suicide data from 2022, the latest year for which full figures exist, shows a five percent increase in the number of suicides among middle-aged women in one year – the group most likely to suffer suicide among women. will die by suicide.

And a four percent increase among men over 75, who are also at the highest risk of dying by suicide among their genders.

Although the suicide rate remained stable between 2022 and 2023, overall it increased by 20 percent from a decade ago and double the rate 20 years ago.

Suicide rates in the US have been rising for almost two decades, apart from a two-year decline at the start of the Covid pandemic, with experts saying today’s figures could be ‘cautiously promising’ as they suggest suicide rates are not rises longer.

Among those who died by suicide in 2023 was mother of two, Heather Armstrong, who was known as a parent blogger

The US has one of the highest suicide rates of any Western country: 14.2 suicides per 100,000 people in 2022.

This exceeded the figure in England and Wales (10.7 per 100,000 population), Australia (12.3) and Germany (12.1).

But it was lower than Japan’s 15 suicides per 100,000 residents. Historically, the country has had an increased number of people committing suicide.

Suicide is currently the eleventh leading cause of death in the US, statistics show.

By age group, men were responsible for three to four times more suicides than women in 2022 – the new thing report found.

The group most likely to die by suicide were men aged 75 and over, with a rate of 44 suicides per 100,000 people.

Among women, the 45 to 64 age groups had the highest rate, at 8.6 suicides per 100,000.

Experts warn that the reasons for suicide are often ‘complicated’ and attempts can be caused by a range of factors.

Contributors include depression, limited availability of mental health care, and the availability of guns.

Estimates suggest that 57.8 million people in the US suffer from mental health problems each year, while 21 million struggle with depression.

The above graph shows suicide rates in the US over time. It highlights that rates among men are three to four times higher than those among women

The above shows suicide rates by age group over time among American women

The above shows suicide rates by age group among American men

Dr. Katherine Keyes, a professor of public health at Columbia University, cautiously welcomed the results, saying that a “levelling off of the suicide rate increase is cautiously promising news.”

The US now has a national crisis line allowing anyone to call 988 to reach a mental health specialist for two years, which Dr Keyes says is now starting to pay off.

Among those who died by suicide last year was mother of two Heather Armstrong, a Utah-based content creator who earned the title “queen of mommy bloggers.”

The 47-year-old built a lucrative online career writing about the unspoken realities of motherhood and the struggles of her two children, her husband and her mental health.

Her partner of six years Pete Ashdown spent months trying to find out how it happened after her death in May 2023.

“Losing Heather is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through,” he said ABC News. “The mental torture I endured, wondering if I could have done anything to prevent this outcome.

“When you lose someone to suicide, you turn into a kind of researcher trying to figure out all the coincidences that led someone to do something like that.”

• For help and support, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988