More Americans committed suicide in the past year than ever before, according to national data.
Figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 49,500 adults in the US will commit suicide by 2022, driven by access to guns and increased depression.
The data suggests that suicides are now more common in the US than at any time since World War II.
It’s an increase from 48,200 in 2021, which equates to one death every 11 minutes.
Suicide is now the 11th leading cause of death in the US, compared to 2020 when it was the 12th leading cause of death. It is also the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34.
Figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 49,500 adults in the US will commit suicide by 2022, driven by access to guns and increased depression
Suicides among adults ages 25 to 44 grew by about percent. The new data indicates that suicide became the second leading cause of death in that age group in 2022, compared to number four in 2021
The US has long been under fire for the growing number of gun deaths, which experts say could be contributing to the suicide rate.
A 2022 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the US had a record 45,222 gun deaths in 2020 and gun suicides increased by one percent.
In addition, data from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global burden of disease report found that in 2019, the US had nearly four times the number of gun-related suicides as the second highest country, India.
Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said, “I don’t know if you can talk about suicide without talking about guns.”
The suicide rate fell slightly in 2019 and fell again in 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some experts linked that to a phenomenon that occurred in the early stages of wars and natural disasters, when people work together and support each other.
But in 2021, the suicide rate will increase by four percent. Last year, according to the new data, the number rose by more than 1,000 to 49,449 — about three percent more than the year before.
The preliminary data comes from U.S. death records and is considered nearly complete, but may change slightly as death information is reviewed in the coming months.
The largest increases were seen in older adults. Deaths increased by nearly seven percent in people ages 45 to 64 and more than eight percent in people ages 65 and older.
White men in particular have very high rates, the CDC said.
Many middle-aged and elderly people experience issues such as losing a job or losing a spouse, and it’s important to reduce stigma and other barriers to help, said Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s medical director.
Suicides among adults ages 25 to 44 grew by about percent. The new data indicates that suicide became the second leading cause of death in that age group in 2022, compared to number four in 2021.
Despite the gloomy statistics, some say there is reason for optimism. A national crisis hotline was launched a year ago, meaning anyone in the US can dial 988 to reach mental health specialists.
The CDC is expanding a suicide program to fund more prevention work in various communities. And there is growing awareness of the problem and that it’s okay to ask for help, health officials say.
By 2022, there was a more than eight percent drop in suicides among people aged 10 to 24.
That may be due to the increased focus on youth mental health issues and a push on schools and others to focus on the problem, CDC officials said.