Suicide Reenters Top 10 Causes of Death as More Americans Are Experiencing Mental Health Conditions

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to elevate the needs of the millions of Americans who have a mental health condition. The term refers to a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior, which can cause distress and problems functioning in social, work, and family activities. This year, the awareness month arrives with sobering news: The U.S. mortality data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that suicide has replaced COVID-19 as the country’s 10th leading cause of death.

Almost 49,000 people died by suicide in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. That year, an additional 14.3 million adults (age 18 and older) seriously thought about suicide, 4.6 million adults made a suicide plan, and 2.2 million attempted suicide. An estimated 2.8 million adolescents (ages 12 to 17) had serious thoughts of suicide, made suicide plans, or attempted suicide.

Having a mental health condition alone does not lead to suicide. However, it is one of the risk factors that can elevate the likelihood of a person experiencing suicidal thoughts or attempting or dying by suicide. And although there is no single cause of suicide, the CDC, using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System, estimates that 49% of people who die by suicide have a current diagnosed mental health condition.

An increasing number of people of all ages report experiencing a mental health condition that ranges from mild to severe impairment. In 2024, 61.5 million adults including 11.6 million young adults (ages 18 to 25) reported having a mental health condition, up from 58.7 million adults and 11.5 million young adults in 2023. An estimated 5% of U.S. adults regularly reported feelings of depression and 12% reported feelings of anxiety—the two most common conditions—in 2024.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available on adolescent health and behavior, 29% of high school students reported experiencing poor mental health in the past month. Among them, female students were more likely to be affected than male students (39% vs. 19%), and those who identify as LGBTQ+ were more likely to be affected than cisgender and heterosexual students (53% vs. 21%).

Preventing suicide

There is no single cause or solution for suicide; health, family history, and societal and environmental factors can all increase suicide risk. Prevention requires multifaceted approaches from multiple sources. Hospitals and health systems should serve as one of these sources, as almost half of all people who die by suicide visit a healthcare provider in the month before their death.

Healthcare settings, including hospitals, have started to assess all patients for such risk—a practice called universal screening. Data shows that universal suicide risk screening helps healthcare providers better identify people at risk and connect them to appropriate care and services. A study of eight emergency departments (ED) across seven states found 30% fewer suicide attempts among patients who were screened and received evidence-based care compared with patients who were not screened.

However, a recent survey shows that more than a third of Joint Commission-accredited U.S. hospitals are missing opportunities to screen all patients for suicide risk. Only 8% of hospitals have instituted all the key components of evidence-based, best-practice suicide care interventions for patients found to be at risk, including a plan for lethal means safety, warm hand-offs to outpatient care, and follow-up contact after discharge.

In 2024, just over half of U.S adults with a mental health condition received treatment. That same year, more than 1,700 ED visits across the country were related to suspected suicide attempts. These findings underscore the need for early identification of people experiencing suicide risk, before they show up to the ED, and connecting them to evidence-based interventions that can help save their lives.

Farzana Akkas works with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ suicide risk reduction project.