Research has shown little evidence that there is predictability from one stage to the next, nor do these stages constitute a continuum of lethality or seriousness. Suicide is an intentional taking of one's own life. It combines a wish to be dead with the action that carries out that wish. Prevalence of Suicide Sucide Among the Young Suicide Among the Elderly . . More people die from suicide than from homicide in the United States.
Males are at least four times more likely to die from suicide than females.
However, females are more likely to attempt suicide than are males. Suicide rates are higher than the national average for some groups of Asian and Native Americans. Suicide rates are generally higher than the national average in the western states and lower in the eastern and midwestern states. From 1952 - 1992, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled. For young people 15 to 24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury and homicide.