The suicide rate is on the rise in the US.

US public health officials announced that suicide cases, which declined in 2019 and 2020, increased in 2022. Officials said the report highlights the mental health crisis in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), affiliated with the US Department of Health and Human Services, released the nation’s 2022 suicide report yesterday.

Consequently, suicide deaths, which fell in 2019 and 2020, increased by around 5% in 2021 and by around 2.6% in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The CDC stressed that the number of suicides increased from 48,183 in 2021 to 49,449 in 2022.

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In the report, 39,255 of those who committed suicide were men and 10,194 were women.

In terms of ethnicity and race, the highest number of suicides occurred among whites with 37,459. According to age distribution, the highest number of suicides occurred between 16,843 and 25-44 years of age. Suicide rates were also found to have increased in people over the age of 45 compared to the previous year.

“Nine out of 10 Americans believe the United States is facing a mental health crisis,” said Xavier Becerra, US Secretary of Health and Human Services. New suicide death data reported by the CDC shows why. Even one life lost to suicide is too much. However, too many people believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

“Today’s report highlights the depth of America’s devastating mental health crisis. Mental health has become the most important public health and social problem of our time. “Many people and their families are suffering and feeling alone,” he said.