If you or a loved one are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 74174.
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The total number of suicides reached nearly 50,000 in 2022, the highest number recorded in U.S. history, according to Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published this week. Even though the total number of men who committed suicide outnumbered women by 4 to 1 in 2022, the suicide rate for women increased at twice the rate for men between 2021 and 2022. The suicide rate for women increased by 4% compared to 2021; for men, it increased by 2 percent.
All age groups of women 25 and older experienced an increase in suicides, with a significant increase for those between 25 and 34. In the 10 to 14 age group, the suicide rate among men decreased by 13 percent and by 22 percent among women; in the 15 to 24 age group, the rate for men decreased by 9 percent and by 3 percent for women; for the 25 to 34 age group, the rate for men decreased by 4 percent and increased by 7 percent for women; for the 35 to 44 age group, the rate for men increased by 3 percent and by 5 percent for women; for the 45 to 54 age group, the rate for men increased by 6 percent and 2 percent for women; for the 55 to 64 age group, the rate for men increased by 10 percent and 5 percent for women; for the 65 to 74 age group, the rate for men increased by 3 percent and 7 percent for women; and for the age group 75 and older, the rate for men increased by 4 percent and 9 percent for women.
The CDC also noted that the number of female suicides is likely higher than reported because their deaths more frequently involve drug poisonings, which take longer to be identified as suicides.
The 19th spoke with psychologists, social workers and mental health experts to discuss possible factors contributing to rising suicide rates among women. Many pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing financial stress and the deluge of management obligations.
Ashley Rondini, associate professor of sociology at Franklin & Marshall College, said these trends are consistent with rising suicide rates among women globally since the start of the pandemic.
“A combination of factors such as increased care responsibilities, prolonged periods of financial instability and increased vulnerability to domestic violence in the context of social isolation within the household, has had deleterious collective impacts on mental health and women’s vulnerability to depression in recent years. ” Rondini said.
Arielle Scoglio, assistant professor of health studies at Bentley University, said it’s also important to remember how some of the pandemic’s mitigation strategies have caused “social isolation and erosion of social support” for many.
“Suddenly, people had less access to supports that could identify the warning signs of suicide in the workplace, at school, in health care settings or in community services. Perceived social support and community engagement are known protective factors against suicide.
Scoglio said women of childbearing age, in particular, have also seen less support and increased adversity due to the pandemic: job losses, relationship conflicts, lack of child care, food insecurity and housing.
Hyeouk Chris Hahm, associate dean for research at Boston University School of Social Work, said suicide is associated with a complex combination of individual, interpersonal and societal factors, making it difficult to identify causes. exact. Yet Hahm also cited losses from the pandemic — in addition to an epidemic of loneliness, substance use disorders and financial hardship among young adults — as potential contributors to worsening mental well-being and to the resulting increase in suicide rates.
“Particularly among young adults in the United States, these stresses are often linked to the high costs of college, student loans and increased living expenses,” Hahm said. “Additionally, the current housing crisis, characterized by a lack of affordable options and high mortgage rates, is further dashing many young adults’ dreams of homeownership.
Men and women of nearly every age and race have seen an increase in suicide rates over the 21st century, leading the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a 2021 call to action on a national prevention strategy.
Some experts have noted positive signals and possible solutions.
Jessica Provines, Wichita State’s assistant vice president for wellness and chief psychologist, has worked in suicide prevention for two decades and helped launch Suspenders4Hope, a national prevention program. Provines noted that the United States did not have a national strategy to address suicide as a public health issue before 2012. But she was encouraged by seeing suicide rates among American Indian and Alaska Native populations decrease by 8 percent in the latest CDC data, a sign. that interventions can be successful.
“These high-risk groups have received a lot of resources and attention through suicide prevention efforts, and that tells me that when prevention efforts are targeted and sustained, we can see positive results on this tragic and painful,” Provines said.
It’s also important to continue working to define and track suicides as a cause of death, experts said. For so long, stigma and a lack of clear definitions made it difficult to accurately track the problem. The increase in numbers could be attributed to better outcomes, and Provines said that instead of being “too alarmed by these numbers,” we should focus on sharing survivor stories and ending stigma for letting people know that they are not alone and that there is hope.
“It is more important to expand prevention efforts and raise awareness about the frequency of suicidal ideation, with 12.3 million Americans reporting suicidal ideation in 2021,” Provines said. “The vast majority of these people have found a way to survive this crisis. They contacted the 988 crisis line, left a toxic environment or received treatment.
Dr. Brooks Keeshin, director of the Safe & Healthy Families Clinic at the University of Utah, said greater efforts are also needed to prevent suicide deaths nationally.
“There needs to be more research on risks, more programs targeting people with known risk factors, better means of screening and more current data so we can change and implement policies more quickly,” said Keeshin. “We should not rely on data that, in part, was collected almost two years ago to inform decisions today. »
