BACKGROUND: Suicide rates in the U.S. have been increasing among both males and females and in nearly all age groups, while overall mortality in the U.S. has generally been declining. The CDC-funded National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is the only national state-based surveillance system that compiles data from multiple sources on all deaths from violence, including suicides, homicides, unintentional firearm deaths, legal intervention deaths, and undetermined deaths. NVDRS data provide a clearer understanding of suicide as an important public health issue and can help guide prevention efforts.
METHODS: NVDRS data were obtained from the CDC and analyzed for the eighteen NVDRS states that completed data collection for 2013 and 2014: Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Analyses included an overview of deaths from violence in the U.S., a detailed look at suicide nationally and among states (including circumstances surrounding suicide deaths in various demographic groups), and an exploration of similarities and differences in suicide deaths among the 18 states.
RESULTS: A total of 27,811 suicides occurred in the 18 states during 2013-2014. Among all states, suicides outnumbered homicides and the suicide rate was higher for males than females. The number of suicides was at least six times that of homicides in Colorado, Oregon, and Utah. A total of 450 murder-suicide incidents were identified, among which 76% of the homicide victims were female and 94% of the perpetrators (suicide victims) were male. Firearms were used in more than 60% of suicides in Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, but in less than 25% of the suicides in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. On average, 17% of suicide victims were identified as veterans. Nearly half (47%) of suicide victims were identified as having a current mental health condition and 38% were identified as having ever been treated for a mental health or substance abuse problem.
CONCLUSIONS: The burden of deaths from suicide in each of the eighteen states was substantial, but many similarities and differences were identified among the states. Analyses of state-level NVDRS data provide a more detailed view of suicide in each state and shed light on issues or subtleties that may differ from national rates or trends. This data can help inform and guide states in selecting appropriate suicide prevention measures that are most relevant and likely to be effective in their communities.