Some Facts about Suicide in the United States 1. Rates of suicide are highest in the Mountain States. Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death. Firearms are currently the most often utilized method of suicide. Suicide rates have traditionally decreased in times of war and increased in times of economic crisis.
Suicide rates are the highest among the divorced and widowed, and lowest among the married.
One young person commits suicide every 2 hours, on average. Suicide cuts across ethnic, economic, social and age boundaries. Caucasian suicide rates are approximately twice those of African-Americans and Hispanics. Major depression is the psychiatric diagnosis most commonly associated with suicide. One out of every 11 people who are diagnosed with depression eventually commit suicide.