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Definition:

 Suicide is when a person ends their life and is by definition fatal. Suicide is not a choice- best stated it is an overwhelming urge to end one’s intense psychological pain. Many suicidal people desperately want to live, but are unable to see alternatives to their problems.

• Worldwide there are more deaths due to suicide than to accidents, homicides, and war combined.
• Hard to collect data on deaths by suicide as many appear to be an accident or are improperly reported on death certificate.
• It is estimated that there are 8 attempts per death by suicide.
• Teenage suicide rates have risen 200% since 1960. In the last two decades, among young people aged 10-14 years, the rates have doubled.
  

Description

Suicide is considered a major public health problem around the world as well as a personal tragedy. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2000, and the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24. About 10.6 out of every 100,000 persons in the United States and Canada die by their own hands. There are five suicide victims for every three homicide deaths in North America as of the early 2000s. There are over 30,000 suicides per year in the United States, or about 86 per day; and each day about 1900 people attempt suicide.

 U.S. Suicide Statistics (2005)

Actual Suicides
1.3% of all deaths are from suicide.

On average, one suicide occurs every 16 minutes.

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds.
(1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide)

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 25-34 year olds.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.

More males die from suicide than females.
(4 male deaths by suicide for each female death by suicide.)

More people die from suicide than from homicide.
(Suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death; Homicide ranks 13th.)

There were over 800,000 suicide attempts in 2005

 Related issues

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recommends the following action steps for anyone dealing with a suicidal person:

Make sure that someone is with them at all times; do not leave them alone even for a short period of time.
Persuade them to call their family doctor or the nearest hospital emergency room.
Call 911 yourself.

Keep the person away from firearms, drugs, or other potential means of suicide.

SUICIDE IS A PERMANENT SOLUTION

TO A TEMPORARY PROBLEM

HELP PREVENT SUICIDE!

What risk factors are associated with suicide?

• Sex: men are four times more likely than women to die from suicide, although three times more women than men report attempting suicide.
• Prior attempts: a person who has one or more prior suicide attempts is at a higher risk.
• Neurotransmitters- research indicates both depression and suicidal behavior is linked with decreased serotonin in the brain.
• Psychiatric Disorders: at least 90% of people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable psychiatric illness.
• Family History: there is an increased risk for suicidal behavior in individuals with a family history of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and certain personality disorders.
• Substance Abuse: drugs and alcohol are involved in approximately 60% of suicides.
• Distressing Life Events: examples may include loss of a loved one, career failure, rejection, and abuse.
• Psychic Pain or Inner Tension: this may include anxiety, guilt, perceived burdensomeness, feelings of not belonging and hopeless that things will not improve.
• Impulsivity: impulsive individuals are more apt to act on suicidal urges