CDC Releases New Data Related to Suicide
On January 30, the CDC released a report including the most recent data related to suicide in the U.S. for the year 2018. According to the new data, suicide remains the 10th leading cause of death, and the rate of suicide in 2018 increased by 1.4%. Our Vice President of Research, Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman, was quoted in a New York Times article on the newly released data, saying the nation needs to invest far more in research to understand emerging patterns.
“I’ve been a researcher in this area for 30 years and I can tell you the conversation and the funding has definitely changed,” she said, “but it’s still nowhere near the level of funding for any other public health problem of this scope.”
While the increase in the suicide rate is disappointing, there is reason for hope. The report shows a smaller percentage increase compared to last year’s – 1.4% increase in 2018 versus an almost 4% increase in 2017. Preventing suicide requires a public health approach in which prevention efforts take place on the societal, community, family and individual level.
Without the strides we have made in our efforts to spread education and awareness, as well as successfully advocating for new legislation supporting prevention, the rate may have gone up further. Helping people gain access to affordable, comprehensive health care, including mental health care that specifically addresses suicide prevention is critical. Increasingly better identification and reporting of suicide deaths may also account for some of the increase.
To read more of our response, and how we can lower the suicide rate, click here.
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