Suicide continues to plague the United States, particularly among white, older adults, according to newly published data.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found suicide increased by 2.6% between 2021 and 2022.
White people once again overwhelmingly represented the majority of suicide deaths among any ethnic group. In 2021, 36,681 white people died by suicide. The total increased by 2.1% the following year and reached 37,459.
“While anyone can experience suicide risk, some populations experience more negative social conditions and other factors described above and have higher rates of suicide or suicide attempts than the general U.S. population,” states the CDC. “The excess burden of suicide in some populations are called health disparities. Examples of groups experiencing suicide health disparities include veterans, people who live in rural areas, sexual and gender minorities, middle-aged adults, people of color, and tribal populations.”
The second-greatest number of suicides was observed among Hispanic people, with 5,120 self-inflected deaths in 2022 which marks a 4.3% increase. Just over 3,825 black people died by suicide in 2022 – 3.6% more than the year before. Suicides also increased among Asian Americans by 5.7%.
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders had the largest increase in suicides (15.9%) with 82 suicides in 2021 and 95 in 2022.
American Indians and Native Alaskans were the only ethnic groups that reported a decrease in suicides.
Suicides also decreased among 10- to 24-year-olds by 8.4%. Ultimately, more older Americans committed suicides in 2022 – including a 6.6% increase among 45- to 64-year-olds and an 8.1% increase among adults 65 and older.
While more men commit suicide each year than women, there was a higher increase in self-inflicted deaths among women between 2021 and 2022.
“The U.S. suicide rate fell somewhat between 2018 and 2020, but then resumed its upward trend, alarming health officials,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “After adjusting the raw numbers to account for the age distribution of Americans, CDC researchers found that the nation’s suicide rate last year was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 residents — a level not seen since 1941. The rate is based on preliminary figures for suicide deaths, which are expected to increase as 2022 deaths continue to be assessed and more of them are classified as suicides.”
The CDC noted in its Vital Statistics Rapid Release that, while its analysis is based on 99% of expected death records, reporting on suicide is sometimes delayed due to “investigations regarding the cause and circumstances surrounding the death.”
“Suicides for females are more likely to be incomplete in this report than suicides for males because their deaths more frequently involve drug poisoning,” per the release.
In 2021, there was one suicide death every 11 minutes.
