Who Is At Risk For Suicide?

Understanding
Suicide
Fact Sheet             2010
www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention
Why is suicide a public
health problem?
Who is at risk for suicide?
Suicide occurs when a person ends their life. It is the
11th leading cause of death among Americans. But
suicide deaths are only part of the problem. More
people survive suicide attempts than actually die. They
are often seriously injured and need medical care.
Most people feel uncomfortable talking about suicide.
Often, victims are blamed. Their friends, families, and
communities are left devastated.
• More than 34,000 people kill themselves each year.
1
•	 More than 376,000 people with self-inflicted injuries
are treated in emergency rooms each year.
1
Suicide affects everyone, but some groups are at higher
risk than others. Men are about 4 times more likely
than women to die from suicide.
1
 However, 3 times
more women than men report attempting suicide.
2
 In
addition, suicide rates are high among middle aged and
older adults.
Several factors can put a person at risk for attempting
or committing suicide. But, having these risk factors
does not always mean that suicide will occur.
Risk factors for suicide include:
• Previous suicide attempt(s)
• History of depression or other mental illness
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Family history of suicide or violence
• Physical illness
• Feeling alone
Note:  These are only some risk factors. To learn more,
go to www.cdc.gov/injury/violenceprevention.
How does suicide
affect health?
Suicide, by definition, is fatal. Those who attempt
suicide and survive may have serious injuries like broken
bones, brain damage, or organ failure. Also, people who
survive often have depression and other mental health
problems.
Suicide also affects the health of the community. Family
and friends of people who commit suicide may feel
shock, anger, guilt, and depression. The medical costs
and lost wages associated with suicide also take their toll
on the community.How can we prevent suicide?
How does CDC approach
suicide prevention?
Where can I learn more?
Understanding Suicide
For more information, please contact:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
1-800-CDC-INFO  •  www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention  •  cdcinfo@cdc.gov
The goal is to stop suicide attempts.
•	 Learn the warning signs of suicide.
Warning signs can include changes in a person’s mood,
diet, or sleeping pattern. The American Association of
Suicidology (www.suicidology.org)
has detailed information on what to look for and
how to respond.
•	 Get involved in community efforts.
The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention lays
out a plan for action. It guides the development of
programs and seeks to bring about social change. For
more information, go to www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/
suicideprevention/strategy.asp.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide,
contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
National Institute for Mental Health
www.nimh.nih.gov
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration
www.samhsa.gov
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
www.sprc.org
Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calltoaction/default.htm
CDC uses a 4-step approach to address public health
problems like suicide.
Step 1:  Define the problem
Before we can prevent suicide, we need to know how
big the problem is, where it is, and whom it affects.
CDC learns about a problem by gathering and studying
data. These data are critical because they help decision
makers send resources where needed most.
Step 2:  Identify risk and protective factors
It is not enough to know that suicide affects certain
people in certain areas. We also need to know why.
CDC conducts and supports research to answer this
question. We can then develop programs to reduce or
get rid of risk factors.
Step 3:  Develop and test prevention strategies
Using information gathered in research, CDC develops
and tests strategies to prevent suicide.
Step 4:  Ensure widespread adoption
In this final step, CDC shares the best prevention
strategies. CDC may also provide funding or technical
help so communities can adopt these strategies.
For a list of CDC activities, see Preventing Suicide: Program
Activities Guide (www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
suicide/index.html).
References
1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics
Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2010). National
Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (producer). [cited 2010 June 23]. Available from: URL:
www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html..
2.Krug EG, Dahlberg LL, Mercy JA, Zwi AB, Lozano R, editors. World
report on violence and health [serial online]. 2004 May. [cited 2006 Aug