Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022—the highest number of suicide deaths ever recorded in the U.S.
Communities of color are increasingly affected by suicide, with deaths among Indigenous peoples and Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans rising over the past 20 years. Veterans, people who identify as LGBTQ, youth and young adults, and disaster survivors are also at elevated risk of suicide.
Nearly half of people who die by suicide see a health care professional in the month before their death. These interactions offer a key opportunity for providers to identify individuals at risk for suicide and connect them to care. Yet despite the availability of suicide screening tools and evidence-based practices that reduce the likelihood of suicide deaths or attempts, research shows that these interventions are not widely used across health care systems.
The Pew Charitable Trusts’ suicide risk reduction project aims to empower hospitals and health systems to expand the use of evidence-based suicide screening and care to help reduce suicide deaths in the U.S.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.
To better understand the trends and disparities in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among demographic subgroups, The Pew Charitable Trusts worked with Dr. Hillary Samples to analyze 2015-19 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
About half of people who die by suicide in the United States each year had a health care visit in the month preceding their deaths, which means there are opportunities for hospitals and health systems to help patients experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released its 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The comprehensive plan comes as suicide deaths among Americans have reached a record high.
Suicide is a serious public health problem in the United States, with more than 49,000 people estimated to have died by suicide in 2022. But evidence-based approaches—universal suicide screening, safety planning, and connections to care—can reduce suicide risk and help save lives. Eleven years ago, Erin Goodman revealed her suicidal thoughts to a primary care doctor who was not equipped to intervene with evidence-based care; shortly after, she survived a suicide attempt.
In 2021, around 48,000 Americans died by suicide, an increase following a two-year decline. This video discusses several factors that can contribute to suicide risk, including family history of suicide, feelings of hopelessness and isolation, and brain chemistry abnormalities.
