Title: Suicide | Mental Health America
Headings: Suicide
Suicide
Content: The most common underlying disorder is depression, 30% to 70% of suicide victims suffer from major depression or bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. [ 1]
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Suicide By The Numbers
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the US, accounting for more than 1% of all deaths. It is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15-24. [ 4]
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More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer [5]
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44,000 Americans die by suicide each year. There are 13.8 deaths by suicide per 100,000 persons each year. [ 6]
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There is one death by suicide for every 25 attempts [7]
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40% of persons who complete suicide have made a previous attempt. [ 8]
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Nine of out ten people who attempt suicide and survive, do not go on to complete suicide at a later date. [ 9]
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Previous suicide attempts serve as a risk factor for completed suicide. Suicide risk is 37% higher in the first year after deliberate self-harm than in the general population. Older white adults have triple the suicide risk than younger, non-white adults. [