Suicide Facts

A closer look at suicide statistics

The following facts about suicide illustrate the seriousness of the issue. With about 36,035 suicides each year, there are an estimated 216,000 additional Americans who are affected by the loss of a family member or friend.

Suicides demand serious action. Contact an experienced and passionate lawyer if you lost a loved one due to mental health care negligence. Call 214-618-8222 today to see how the Law Offices of Skip Simpson can help you.

• Approximately 36,035 people die by suicide each year.
• America average 98.5 suicides per day.
• The average suicide rate in America is one every 14.6 minutes.
• Annually there are more suicides than murders in the United States.
• More children and young adults die from suicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung disease combined.
• More than 4,200 children and young adults take their own lives every year, making suicide the third overall cause of death for people 10 to 24 years of age.
• Children and young adults account for 13.2 percent of all suicides completed.
• Youth suicide early intervention and prevention have been listed as urgent public health priorities by the President's New Freedom Commission in Mental Health, the Institute of Medicine's Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, and the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide.
• Many states have already developed comprehensive youth suicide early intervention and prevention strategies that seek to provide effective early intervention and prevention services.