Suicide Rates In U.S. Are The Highest In 30 Years

Suicide in the United States has shot up to its highest levels in almost three decades, according to a federal data analysis. The rise is visible in every age group except the older adults. The increase has been high for women and middle-aged Americans. This is a worrying signal from a group whose suicide rates were stable or fell since the 1950s.

The new findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics Report  indicate a 24 percent increase between 1999 and 2014. Hence, 10 out of every 100,000 killed themselves in 1999, while in 2014, it shot up to 13 per 100,000.

"The rate of suicide has gone up nearly steadily since 1999," said Sally Curtin, a statistician from the CDC. "It's a broad picture for both females and males. The suicide rate was higher in 2014 than in 1999 for all age groups under 75 years."

The biggest rises happened to men in the age group of 45 to 64 years while the fastest growth in the 15 years for women was among 10 to 14-year-olds.

Even though the lowest rates are among younger women, the rise in the youngest group increased three times to 150 by 2014.

"For this sub-population, these suicides that end in death are just the tip of the iceberg," Curtin said. "For every suicide, we know there are many, many attempts and hospitalizations."

"One of the most salient things the study illustrates is that despite our aggressive efforts to decrease suicide rates, we really haven't been successful," said Maria Oquendo, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. "It's really not clear why it keeps going up."

"With puberty starting earlier and earlier, it's possible some of these kids are experiencing psychiatric conditions earlier," she added. "It's rare for suicide to occur in the absence of a psychiatric condition."

It is probably due to recessionary or high unemployment times. Hence, the CDC found a link between the increase in suicides and home evictions as well as foreclosures many years ago.

It is also possible that drug abuse, especially of prescription painkillers  has shot up. The suicides due to opioids tripled between 2000 and 2014.