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Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates by Method in US

MMWR; ePub 2016 May 20; Hedegaard, Curtin, et al

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The age-adjusted suicide rates in the US increased from 4.0 to 5.8 per 100,000 for females and from 17.7 to 20.7 for males from 2000 to 2014, with suicide by suffocation the most common method used overall, according to a recent report. The report, which also examines the most common method used to commit suicide among the study population, found:

• Suicide rates by specific methods also increased, with the greatest increase seen for suicides by suffocation.

• During the 15-year study period, the rate of suicide by suffocation more than doubled for females from 0.7 to 1.6 and increased from 3.4 to 5.6 for males.

• Among females in 2014, suicide by poisoning had the highest rate (1.9); suicide by firearm had the highest rate among males (11.4).

Citation: QuickStats: Age-adjusted suicide rates for females and males, by method — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2000 and 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65:503. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6519a7.

Commentary: Suicide is tragic, and tragically increasing in incidence over the last decade. It is the tenth leading cause of death in the US, and the second leading cause of death among persons aged 15 to 34 years, accounting for over 100 suicides in the US every day. Males commit suicide at almost four times the rate of females and account for 80% of all completed suicides, most often using a gun. Of individuals who commit suicide, a third has been drinking alcohol and 20% test positive for opioids. Approximately 1 in 200 adults have attempted suicide in the past year, of whom 80% had first made a suicide plan, perhaps presenting an opportunity for intervention.1 This is a vexing and tragic problem, with no clear solution in site, but something that needs to be in the forefront of thinking for all primary care clinicians. —Neil Skolnik, MD

1. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Suicide – CDC Facts at a Glance 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicide-datasheet-a.pdf. Accessed June 13, 2016.

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