Suicide and Society

What is suicide? Why do people attempt to commit suicide? Suicide is the act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself. It can also be defined as the destruction or ruin of one's own interests.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2004, suicide took the lives of 30,622 people, and it also says that suicide rates are generally higher than the national average in the Western states and lower in the Eastern and Midwestern states. In 2001, 55% of all suicides that were committed involved the use of a firearm, and in 2002, 132,353 people were hospitalized following suicide attempts. Of the 132,353 people hospitalized, 116,639 were treated in emergency departments and released. 

There are many different types of “groups” that are at risk for the potential to commit suicide. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all U.S. men, and men are four times more likely to die from suicide than women. Suicide rates are highest among whites and second highest among American Indian and Native Alaskan men. Among the 24,672 suicide deaths reported among men in 2001, 60% involved the use of a firearm. 

Men aren’t the only people who are vulnerable to suicide. Women and youthful people are also in danger of possibly committing suicide. In 2002, women reported attempting suicide in their lifetime about three times as often as men. Rates of suicide among teenagers and adolescents are unbelievably high, but the rates have been declining  since 1992. Adolescents and young adults often experience stress, confusion, and depression from situations occurring in their families, schools, and communities. These kind of feelings can overwhelm young people and lead them to consider suicide as a “solution.” Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people ages fifteen to twenty-four. In 2001, 3,971 suicides were reported in this group and 54% of youth suicides involved the use of a firearm. Of the total number of suicides among ages fifteen to twenty-four in 2001, 86% were male and 14% were female.