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Updated Jun 11, 2018

The big picture: Suicide rates are increasing in almost every state

Chris Canipe

The tragic losses of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain last week — who both took their own lives — drew attention to the broader problem of rising suicide rates around the country.

Data: Centers for Disease Control; Cartogram: Chris Canipe/Axios
Data: Centers for Disease Control; Cartogram: Chris Canipe/Axios

The big picture: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday that suicide is the nation's 10th leading cause of death — and the most recent collection of data (2014-2016) shows that suicide rates have increased in almost every state since the turn of the century.

  • 25 states saw an increase in suicide by more than 30%.
  • The rates of increase largely varied. For example, there was an increase of 6% in Delaware, compared to a 57% increase in North Dakota.
  • In 2016, 45,000 Americans 10 years or older committed suicide, according to the CDC.

Be smart: More than half of the people that committed suicide didn't have a diagnosed mental health condition, per the CDC. Many causes of suicide include factors like job, money, or legal stresses, relationship problems, substance abuse, loss, and more.

P.S., via the NYT: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

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