There is no single solution to preventing suicide, which claimed nearly 50,000 lives in 2022, according to the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
These include gaps in health equity, the rise of youth on social media, and the intersection of substance use and suicide. The strategy also covers how to effectively use the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, ideas for implementing workplace suicide prevention, and an increased focus on social determinants of overall health.
The report outlines four strategic directions: community-based suicide prevention, treatment and crisis services, surveillance, quality improvement and research, and health equity in suicide prevention.
The focus is to identify and support people who might be at an increased risk by offering treatment and crisis intervention, prevent reattempts, promote long-term recovery, and support survivors.
Suicide Rates Impact Some Groups More Than Others
Suicide disproportionately affects different groups, including veterans, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ populations, young people, middle-aged individuals, older adults, and individuals with serious mental illnesses. Suicide rates also vary by geographic region.
“Despite significant advancements in the field, suicide rates in the United States continue to rise,” according to the report. Suicide rates increased by 36 percent between 2000 and 2022, as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though rates dipped in 2019 and 2020, overall, they have increased by 12.7 percent from 2012 to 2022.
The Rocky Mountain and western states had the highest suicide rates, with Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Alaska showing rates of 21.1 to 28.7 deaths per 100,000 people. In contrast, rates were lowest in California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and several New England states.
Adults older than 85 had the highest rate of suicide. However, adults between the ages of 25 and 64 maintained near-similar rates.
Suicide Ideation Rates Are Up, Too
Suicide ideation was particularly high among female high school students in 2021, with 30 percent of this cohort reporting serious thoughts of suicide, compared to 19 percent in 2011.The 2024 report indicates that trends in suicide between 2011 and 2021 show an increase in suicidal ideation not only among females but also among non-Hispanic Black, White, and Hispanic students.
Rates of suicide ideation among LGBTQIA+ students continue to be triple the rate of heterosexual students.
