(DailyDig.com) – Deaths by suicide in the US hit a new high in 2022, data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) show.
The number of fatalities caused by deliberate self-harm reached a record high of 49,449 in 2022, surpassing 14 fatalities per 100,000 people, a figure not seen since 1941. There was a 1% increase in the national suicide rate as a result.
According to the NCHS, these are just preliminary figures, and the actual figures may increase. There were 23.1 deaths per 100,000 males and 5.9 deaths per 100,000 females.
These latest numbers come after a study by the VA indicating an increase in suicides among the military. In 2021 alone, there were 6,392 veteran suicides, an increase of 11.6% from 2020 to 2021, according to the suicide report issued in November by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
It’s concerning that the trend, which had been declining for two years, suddenly spiked. The Mission Roll Call executive director and a veteran of the US Marine Corps, Cole Lyle, made the statement on November 27. It shouldn’t be surprising that veteran suicide rates rose after the COVID-19 pandemic and the pullout from Afghanistan.
Additionally, Lyle said that there was substantial data suggesting that the aforementioned events were having a detrimental effect on the mental health of veterans and the rates of suicide. He claims that no one is shocked by the spike since he prevented several soldiers from taking their own lives during the withdrawal issue in Afghanistan. He feels bad about it and believes they could take some easy steps to stop the pattern from continuing.
Surprisingly, 36% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 reported having suicidal thoughts in 2022, according to a poll conducted in October. Regardless, a little over a third of Rhode Islanders (32%) are confident in their ability to identify the suicidal warning signs of a person, and nearly half of all adults (43%) are aware of where to get help in preventing suicide.
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