America is experiencing its highest number of suicide deaths in history, as rates among older American adults surge.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday revealed more than 49,000 suicide deaths in 2022, overshadowing previous national records.
The escalation of suicide rates across the nation contrasts with a temporary dip observed from 2018 to 2020. Adjusted for population age variations, the CDC calculates the current rate at 14.3 suicides per 100,000 people. This figure has not been this high since the early 1940s.
“It’s somewhat different than what we’ve seen in past years,” said Sally C. Curtin, a statistician at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and one of the authors of the new report.
Suicide rates have increased across many demographic groups, but “if there’s a bright spot in the report, it is that decline for some of the younger groups which had been marching steadily up,” she said.
The gender disparity in suicide rates remains pronounced, with 23.1 male deaths per 100,000 compared to 5.9 female deaths per 100,000. Senior men, particularly those over 75, are at a higher risk, presenting rates nearly double those of young males aged 15 to 24.
“People don’t realize that depression is not a normal part of aging” and that older people can access treatment for it, said Jill Harkavy-Friedman, senior vice president of research for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Connection is really important.”
Despite the overall higher risk for men, women experienced a 4% increase in suicide rates from 2021 to 2022, a growth rate four times that of men’s. Women between the ages of 45 and 54 are particularly vulnerable, the report indicates.
Notably, suicide rates vary among racial and ethnic groups, with American Indian and Alaska Native populations registering the highest rates.
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