Delaware had the second lowest rate increase in the suicide rate among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, in a troubling report from the Centers for Disease Control.
Only Nevada saw a decrease in its suicide rate.
The report comes shortly after the recent suicide deaths of well-known fashion designer Kate Spade and CNN travel and food show host Anthony Bourdain.
Delaware’s nearly six percent increase was well below the 25 percent increase in the nation overall. The highest rate of increase took place in North Dakota.
In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.
Suicide is rarely caused by a single factor. Although suicide prevention efforts largely focus on identifying and providing treatment for people with mental health conditions, there are additional opportunities for prevention, the CDC reported.
For this Vital Signs report, CDC researchers examined state-level trends in suicide rates from 1999-2016. In addition, they used 2015 data from CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System, which covered 27 states, to look at the circumstances of suicide among people with and without known mental health conditions.
Researchers found that more than half of people who died by suicide did not have a known diagnosed mental health condition at the time of death.
Relationship problems or loss, substance misuse; physical health problems; and job, money, legal or housing stress often contributed to risk for suicide. High rates of suicide among veterans and middle-aged women have also been reported.
Firearms were the most common method of suicide used by those with and without a known diagnosed mental health condition.
The most recent overall suicide rates (2014-2016) varied four-fold; from 6.9 per 100,000 residents per year in Washington, D.C. to 29.2 per 100,000 residents in Montana.
States along the Northeast Corridor, including Delaware, tended to have among the lowest rates of suicide. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, all in New England, had among the highest rates of increase in suicides.
While the CDC did not speculate on the ties between suicide and opioids, a number of states with high rates of opioid use also ranked high in the rate of increase in suicides.
The CDC report recommends that states take a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention and address the range of factors contributing to suicide.
Suggestions from the CDC for employers, government, community groups and others include:
- Learn the warning signs of suicide to identify and appropriately respond to people at risk. Find out how this can save a life by visiting: BeThe1to.com
- Reduce access to lethal means – such as medications and firearms – among people at risk of suicide.
- Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
The media was also advised to take the following steps in its reports.
- Following and sharing recommendations available at reporting.suicide.org(for example, avoiding dramatic headlines or explicit details on suicide methods);
- Providing information on suicide warning signs and suicide prevention resources; and
- Sharing stories of hope and healing.
