On average, there are 129 suicides per day nationwide. Suicide is the 10thleading cause of death in the U.S. Yet it is 100% preventable. Suicide knows no demographic, no race, no income level, and no gender, according to data compiled by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
In South Carolina* alone, 815 people died by suicide in 2018–one person every 11 hours.
Though the numbers portrayed by media accounts may suggest differently, more people die by suicide than by homicide.
And For Every Completed Suicide, An Estimated 25 Attempt Suicide
No complete count is available for suicide attempts in the U.S. because many suicide attempts go unreported or untreated. Data suggest that each year at least 1.4 million people in the U.S. engage in intentionally inflicted self-harm.
Each year the CDC gathers data from hospitals on non-fatal injuries from self-harm. While this data is the most accurate available, the numbers are estimated to be higher. Stigma surrounding suicide leads to underreporting, and data collection methods critical to suicide prevention need to be improved.
Existing data collection methods indicate that
- Based on the 2017 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey, 7.4 percent of youth in grades 9-12 reported that they had made at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months.
- Approximately 2.4 percent of all students reported making a suicide attempt that required treatment by a doctor or nurse.
- Females attempt suicide twice as often as males. As with suicide deaths, rates of attempted suicide vary considerably among demographic groups. Males are 4 times more likely than females to die by suicide.
*For suicide-related data for all states, go to https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/