There are about 50 percent more deaths by suicide than by homicide. Suicide rates are highest among Americans over 65 and white males, but the rate has tripled in the past 40 years among adolescents and young adults and doubled in the past 20 years among black males aged 15-19, experts said. Still, the U.S. annual suicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 is moderate when compared to other nations. Lithuania leads the world with a rate four times higher than America, with Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia and Hungary next in line. Among U.S. states, Nevada has the highest rate, followed by Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and Arizona.
New Jersey has the lowest, followed by New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Experts in the field assisted Satcher in drawing up the plan, which is be followed on a voluntary basis at the state and community level. The plan is not backed by any specific amount of federal funding, although Satcher said money to help pay for efforts at the state and local level could come from various agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services. More than half the states are mounting their own prevention programs. Satcher said, and its rate can be significantly lowered with early intervention. Risk factors include depression and other mental disorders, alcohol and other substance abuse, feelings of hopelessness, a history of abuse and a family history of suicide, experts said.