The AP (8/10, Stobbe) reports that approximately “49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday.” While the CDC, “which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year…available data” suggest “suicides are more common in the U.S. than at any time since the dawn of World War II.”
CNN (8/10, McPhillips) reports, “Suicide rose to the 11th leading cause of death in 2021, and provisional data for 2022” show “the same.” Additionally, the provisional data show that “firearms were involved in more than half of all suicides in 2022.”
ABC News (8/10, Kekatos) reports, “The greatest increase was seen among adults aged 65 and older, which was up 8.1% from 2021, and the second highest increase was in those aged 45 to 64, with a 6.6% rise.” Additionally, “there…was an increase among those aged 25 to 44, but of just 0.7%.”
Related Links:
— “US suicides hit an all-time high last year,”Mike Stobbe, AP, August 10, 2023