Suicide in the United States

The first section shows a map of United States; a caption alongside reads, suicide rates rose across the U S from 1999 to 2016. The countries with increase and decreased rates of suicide are as follows,

Increase 38 to 58 percent: Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

Increase 31 to 37 percent: Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Alaska.

Increase 19 to 30 percent: Washington, Oregon, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington D. C., and Maine.

Increase 6 to 18 percent: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Hawaii.

Decrease 1 percent: Nevada.

The second section shows an illustration of the silhouette of a woman and four silhouettes of men. Text reads, approximately 4 percent of U S adults think about suicide over the course of a year. The suicide rate for males is nearly 4 times higher than females.

The third section shows an illustration of a clock with time from 1 minute to 12 minutes highlighted and accompanying text reads, in the United States someone commits suicide every 12 minutes. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 24.

The fourth section shows a photo of a depressed young woman sitting on a couch with her head resting on her hand. Another woman sitting opposite has her hand on the shoulder of young woman. Text beside the photo reads, if you believe a friend may be thinking about suicide: Don’t be afraid to ask. Talking about suicide will not put the idea in your friend’s head. Be direct and ask your friend if she is thinking about hurting herself; listen without being judgmental; never agree to keep someone’s thoughts about suicide a secret; encourage your friend to contact a responsible person who can help. This may be a counselor, teacher, or health-care professional. Or call a suicide prevention hotline; if your friend admits that she has made a detailed plan or obtained a means of hurting herself, call 9 1 1 and stay with her until help arrives.

(C D C, 2018, June 7; Mayo Clinic, 2018, January 31).

Text below the photo reads National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-8 0 0-2 7 3-Talk (8 2 5 5). Suicide prevention lifeline dot o r g.

The risk factors for suicide include: previous suicide attempt(s); family history of suicide or violence; alcohol or drug abuse; physical illness; history of depression or other mental illness; feeling alone. (C D C, 2017, October 3).

A callout to History of depression or other mental illness reads, more than half of those who complete suicide have not been diagnosed with a psychological disorder. “It is possible that mental health conditions or other circumstances could have been present and not diagnosed, known, or reported.” (C D C, 2018, June 7, p 2).