More than a decade of steadily rising rates have made suicide the nation’s 10th leading cause of death and one of only three causes of death — including Alzheimer’s disease and drug overdoses — that are increasing in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a report that examines trends in suicide at the state level from 1999 to 2016, the CDC says suicide rates have increased in nearly every state. In half the states, the agency found the rate rose more than 30 percent.
In releasing the report — the same week fashion designer Kate Spade was found dead by suicide — CDC officials noted that more than half of those who died by suicide — 54 percent — did not have a known diagnosed mental health condition.
A new study on suicide trends in 27 states found that many victims acted after relationship problems or loss; substance misuse; physical health problems; or job, money, legal or housing stress.
“Our data suggests suicide is more than a mental health issue,” said Deborah M. Stone, lead author of that study. Noting that suicide is “very rare” among those with chronic depression, Stone said friends, families and co-workers should not overlook the risk of self-harm among people who have never been diagnosed with mental illness.
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So many people in so much pain.
