FACTS ABOUT SUICIDE *

AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Over 30,000 people in the United States kill themselves every year.Accounting for 1.4% of all deaths, suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S.A person commits suicide about every 15 minutes in the U.S., but it is estimated that an attempt is made about once a minute.60% of all people who commit suicide kill themselves with firearms.
• There are 4 male suicides for every one female; however, at least twice as many females as males attempt suicide.

YOUTH SUICIDE

• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15-34 year olds.Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among 10-14 year olds.The suicide rate for young men (15-24) has tripled since 1950, while for young women (15-24) it has more than doubled.The suicide rate for children (1 0- 14) has more than doubled over the last 15 years.The suicide rate for young black males (15-24) has risen by 2/3 over the past 15 years.
• Risk factors for suicide among the young include the presence of a mental illness -- especially depression, conduct disorder, alcohol and drug use disorders, a previous suicide attempt, and the availability of firearms in the home.

OLDER ADULTS AND SUICIDE

• The suicide rates for men are relatively constant from ages 20-64, but increase significantly after age 05.The suicide rates for women peak between the ages of 40-54 years old, and do so again after age 75.
• After a steady decrease in the suicide rates for those over 65 from 1950-1980, suicide in this age group is once again on the increase.
• Risk factors for suicide among the elderly include the presence of a mental illness -- especially depression and alcohol abuse; the
• presence of a physical illness; social isolation -- especially being widowed in males; and the availability of a firearm in the home.

DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE

• Over 60% of all people who commit suicide suffer from an affective disorder. If one includes alcoholics who are depressed, this figure rises to over 75%.
• About 15% of the population will suffer from clinical depression at some time during their lifetime. Thirty percent of all clinically depressed patients attempt suicide; half of them succeed over a lifetime.

ALCOHOL AND SUICIDE

• 96% of alcoholics who commit suicide continue their substance abuse up to the end of their lives.
• Alcohol is a factor in about 30% of all completed suicides.

FIREARMS AND SUICIDE

• Although most gun owners reportedly keep a firearm in their home for "protection" or "self defense," 83% of gun related deaths in these homes are the result of a suicide, often by someone other than the gun owner.
• Death by firearms is the fastest growing method of suicide.
• Firearms are now used in more suicides than homicides.

MEDICAL ILLNESS AND SUICIDE

• Highest suicide rates occur in those over 50. In more than half of those deaths medical illness plays an important role in the motivation to commit suicide.
• Patients who desire an early death during a serious or terminal illness are usually suffering from a treatable depressive condition.
• People with AIDS have a suicide risk up to 20 times that of the general population.

* Rates are based on 1997 United States statistics.

 

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Bipolar IllnessAlmost 2 million Americans currently suffer from bipolar illness.   Although many effective treatments are available, bipolar illness is often not properly recognized and treated as an illness, resulting in years of needless suffering, and often in death by suicide. Patients with depressive and bipolar illnesses are far more likely to commit suicide than individuals in any other psychiatric or medical risk group.

• The mortality rate for untreated bipolar patients is higher than it is for most types of heart disease and many types of cancer.Studies of bipolar populations indicate that 25-50% of these individuals attempt suicide at least once.1 out of every 5 people with bipolar illness will die by suicide over a lifetime.Studies indicate that most bipolar patients who die by suicide try to communicate their suicidal ideas to others, most frequently through a direct and specific statement of their intent to commit suicide.
• Treatments for people suffering from depressive illnesses are successful in alleviating symptoms over 80% of the time.
• Among all people who commit suicide, more than 2/3 have suffered from a depressive or bipolar illness.
• Most people suffering from bipolar illness who attempt suicide do so very soon after the onset of the illness.Although more men than women complete suicide in the general population (4: 1), the gender rates for completed suicide in those suffering from bipolar illness are equal.There is strong scientific evidence linking bipolar illness, artistic creativity, and suicide.
• More research is needed to determine which patients are most vulnerable to suicide and which treatments effectively deal with the illness without hindering, a person's artistic performance and creativity.
• The most reliable method of preventing suicide in patients with bipolar illness is early and accurate diagnosis, followed by aggressive treatment of the underlying illness.

For More Information Contact The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

120 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10005Call our toll free line at 1-888-333-AFSPor visit our Website at www.afsp.org

AFSP was founded in 1987 by concerned scientists, business and community leaders, and survivors of suicide in an effort to support the research and education needed to prevent suicide. AFSP remains the only national not-for-profit foundation solely dedicated to funding suicide prevention research, and to offering educational programs and conferences for survivors, mental health professionals, physicians, and the public.

 

 

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