Suicide Rates of suicide for adults between 35 and 64 years in the United States

According to date from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC&P), suicide rates among adults aged between 35 and 64 years are on the rise. The period from 1999 -- 2010 saw an annual age-adjusted rate of suicide in this age bracket increase by slightly over 28%. The findings also show that the three leading methods of committing suicide are use of firearms, poisoning and suffocation. In suffocation, hanging was the predominant method while in poisoning drug overdose was the most predominant method. Findings from this period show that the greatest increase in suicide methods was in hanging which saw an 81% increase while poisoning and firearms saw a 24% and 14% increase respectively Sullivan, Annest, Luo, Simon, & Dahlberg, 2013()

According to the report, men were 2 -- 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Rates increased for both men and women in the age bracket of 35 -- 64 years increased considerably. For men, the suicide rate increased from 21.5 to 27.3 per 100,000 people, representing a 27.3% increase while for women, it increased from 6.2 to 8.1 per 100,000 people representing a 31.5% increase. For both men and women, the findings show that the rates of suicide increased with age. Men aged between 50 and 59 years were more likely to commit suicide compared to other age group while for women, the largest increase in suicide rates was in the 60 -- 64 years age group Sullivan et al., 2013()

Factors likely to contribute to increasing suicide rates

According to Luo, Florence, Quispe-Agnoli, Ouyang, & Crosby, 2011(Sullivan et al. (2013)

, the economic downturn that may people have been facing in the period between 1999 and 2010 is likely to cause...

Since earlier decades, higher rates of suicide have been seen during periods of poor financial performance and economic setbacks )
. It is thus expected that with the poor economic performance as a result of the recession, more people are likely to suffer financial strain causing them to commit suicide.

Unemployment is also a risk factor in suicides. Reeves et al. (2012)

show the relationship between increased unemployment and rise in suicide rates by showing that 25% of the excess suicides that happen every year can be attributed to unemployment. The authors state that other factors such as loss of jobs, income losses as a result of retrenchment or redundancy, or foreclosures are modifying factors in suicides.

Increased availability of opioid drugs such as hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone, morphine and OxyContin are a major factor in the rise in suicide rates. These drugs have compounds that act on the body and are often deadly when used in large or frequent doses. More people can also access firearms such as guns which create easy access to firearms for committing suicide. Gun control policies have often been relaxed to allow more people to become licensed gun holders and this has caused this problem.

Strategies used to prevent suicide

Paying attention to mental health needs of persons classified as suicidal is important in preventing suicide. The CDC&P points at the baby boomer generation and states that since this generation had high rates of suicide as adolescents, this explains the increased middle age suicides. Therefore there is need to pay attention to this group and others who are more vulnerable to suicidal effects. These strategies will inform efforts to reduce stigma as a result of attempted suicide…