Suicide Facts

Completed suicides, U.S., 1997

• Suicide was the 8th leading cause of death in the United States.
• The total number of suicide deaths was 30,535
• The 1997 age-adjusted rate was 10.6/100,000, or 0.01%
  • 1.3% of total deaths were from suicide.  By contrast, 31% were from diseases of the heart, 23%
  • were from malignant neoplasms (cancer), and 7% from cerebrovascular disease (stroke), the three
  • leading causes
  • Suicide outnumbered homicides (19,846) by 3 to 2
  • There were twice as many deaths due to suicide than deaths due to HIV/AIDS (16,516 )
    
    
• Suicide by firearms was the most common method for both men and women, accounting for 58% of all suicides
• More men than women die by suicide
  • The gender ratio is  4:1
  • 72% of all suicides are committed by white men
  • 79% of all firearm suicides are committed by white men
    
    
• The highest suicide rates were for white men over 85, who had a rate of 65/100,000. 
• Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death among young people 15 to 24 years of age, following unintentional injuries and homicide.  The rate was 11.5/100,000, or .01%
  • The suicide rate among children ages 10-14 was 1.6/100,000, or 303 deaths among 19,040,000 children in this age group.
  • The suicide rate among adolescents aged 15-19 was 9.5/100,000, or 1,802 deaths among 19,068,000 adolescents in this age group
    • The 1997 gender ratio for this age group was 5:1 (males: females)
      
      
  • Among young people 20 to 24 years of age the suicide rate was 13.6/100,000, or 2,384 deaths among 17,512,000 people in this age group
    • The 1997 gender ratio for this age group was 7:1 (males: females)

Attempted Suicides

• No annual national data on attempted suicide are available; reliable scientific research, however, has found that:
  • There are an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides to one completion; the ratio is higher in women and youth and lower in men and the elderly
  • More women than men report a history of attempted suicide, with a gender ratio of 2:1
  • The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in adults are depression, alcohol abuse, cocaine use, and separation or divorce
  • The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or other drug use disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors

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