Suicide Levels Down in United States
ABCNews.com
Suicide levels have been decreasing in the United States over the last 10 years to 15 years, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers examined data on suicide in the United States from 1970 to 2002 and found that, after rising in the years leading up to the early 1990s, suicide rates had declined pretty steadily. The suicide rate among young people between ages 15 and 24 was at 8.8 per 100,000 people in 1970, reached a high of 13.8 in 1994, and was back down at 9.9 in 2002.
While many people believe teens are at the highest risk for suicide, it's actually seniors in the United States who commit suicide at the greatest rate — 20.8 per 100,000 people in 1970, down to 15.6 in 2002. Researchers say that the causes for the decline are unknown, but that the newer antidepressants such as Prozac and Paxil probably play a part.
The fact that more people are now being treated for depression also likely plays a part in the decrease in suicide.
ABCNews.com
Suicide levels have been decreasing in the United States over the last 10 years to 15 years, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers examined data on suicide in the United States from 1970 to 2002 and found that, after rising in the years leading up to the early 1990s, suicide rates had declined pretty steadily. The suicide rate among young people between ages 15 and 24 was at 8.8 per 100,000 people in 1970, reached a high of 13.8 in 1994, and was back down at 9.9 in 2002.
While many people believe teens are at the highest risk for suicide, it's actually seniors in the United States who commit suicide at the greatest rate — 20.8 per 100,000 people in 1970, down to 15.6 in 2002. Researchers say that the causes for the decline are unknown, but that the newer antidepressants such as Prozac and Paxil probably play a part.
The fact that more people are now being treated for depression also likely plays a part in the decrease in suicide.
