The U.S Suicide Rate is at its Highest in a Half-Century [psmag.com]

America is facing a suicide crisis.

A new survey on mortality and life expectancy in the United States, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that 47,000 Americans took their own lives in 2017—2,000 more than recorded in 2016. The national suicide rate has increased 33 percent between 1999 and 2017, according to the CDC's National Vital Statistics System data. What's worse, a broader Associated Press analysis of government records indicates that American suicides are now at their highest point in 50 years. It's now the second-leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 35.

And the rate of suicides has only accelerated in recent years. According to the CDC, suicide rates among both men and women increased around 1 percent a year between 1999 and 2006; between 2006 and 2017, however, rates jumped to a 2 percent annual increase. The suicide crisis isn't evenly distributed, though: CDC research indicates that the suicide rate jumped more dramatically in rural areas (13.1 per 100,000 in 1999, vs. 20 per 100,000 in 2017) compared to urban metros (9.6 per 100,000 in 1999, vs. 11.1 per 100,000 in 2017).

[For more on this story by JARED KELLER, go to https://psmag.com/news/the-sui...st-in-a-half-century]