The suicide rate in the United States returned to a near-record high in 2021, reversing two years of decline, according to a recent report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study showed that suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death nationwide, with more than 14 deaths for every 100,000 people.
The death rate has increased 32 per cent over the past two decades, and the 4 per cent jump between 2020 and 2021 was the sharpest annual increase in that timeframe.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34, and fifth for people aged 35 to 54.
The suicide death rate was four times higher among men than women in 2021, the CDC data showed.
Rates were highest among Native American people – about twice as high as average for men and three times as high for women – and rates spiked about 17 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
A companion report by the CDC showed that in recent years, adolescents were the age group most likely to visit the emergency department for suicidal thoughts.
Children are facing increasing mental health challenges, with significant shares of both teen girls (57 per cent) and boys (29 per cent) saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. Nearly 1 in 3 teen girls said they seriously considered attempting suicide, the CDC survey found.
‘Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34 in the US.’