Statistics

(Information based on most recent available statistics of 2000)

United States and California

• In the year 2000, suicide accounted for approximately 29,350 deaths in the United States and 3,077 deaths in California. That is more than 8 suicides every day in California alone.
• More Americans kill themselves than are killed by others: suicide ranks 11th as cause of death whereas homicide ranks 14th.
• There are 734,000 suicide attempts in the US each year.
• There are 25 attempts for each completed suicide
• Approximately 5 million living Americans have attempted to kill themselves.
• At least 6 other people are intimately affected by each suicide.

*These figures are undoubtedly higher since family members and other survivors may have emotional, legal, or financial reason for denying that a death is a suicide

*Additionally, when the cause of death is a fall, automobile accident, or drug/alcohol overdose, it may be difficult to determine if it was a suicide or not

*As of 1999, national suicide rates have been on the decline for 6 consecutive years

Young Adults

• 90% of teenagers who commit suicide have a psychiatric illness
• Persons under the age of 25 accounted for 14% of all suicides in 1999
• For young adults 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury and homicide
• In 1999, more young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung disease combined

College Students

• If campus suicide rates continue to climb, as many as 1,000 college students may commit suicide this year
• Suicide is the second most common cause of death for college students
• Student suicides are most likely to occur after a disappointment or rejection
• 90-95% of suicides, especially at college age, are the result of a psychiatric illness. The most prevalent is depression, which increases the suicide risk 20 times that of the general population.
• College students who commit suicide are usually depressed, quiet, socially isolated young people who do NOT abuse alcohol or drugs. They draw little attention to themselves.
• A college student experiencing their first depressive episode is particularly likely to attempt suicide. Many people experience their first bout of depression in college.