Global suicide rates have decreased by 30 percent since 1990 – but not in the United States

Suicide rates have decreased dramatically all over the world over the past few decades. However, some countries, including the United States, have prices that rise along the opposite trend lines, putting the world behind the goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 to reduce suicides by a third.

Between 1990 and 2021, the global suicide rate decreased by about 30 percent, from about 10 deaths per 100,000 people to about seven deaths per 100,000 people, according to his conducted analysis. Jiseung Kang At the University of Korea in South Korea and its colleagues. They collected data on suicide deaths from 102 countries using the World Health Organization death database.

“Many countries are more and more aware that suicide can be prevented,” he says. Paul Nystt At Johns Hopkins University, Maryland. As such, more of them have enacted policies to reduce suicide cases, such as restricting access to pesticides, firearms, or some medications – and these policies appear to have been successful.

Suicide rates have decreased in each continent except for the Americas, where more than 11 percent have grown since 2000. There, suicide has increased in many countries, including Mexico, Paraguay and the United States. Between 2000 and 2020, the suicide rate in the United States jumped from about 9.6 deaths to 12.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The researchers believe that this is due to the increase in suicide in firearms and the effects of mental health of the 2008 financial crisis.

Meanwhile, suicide rates decreased steadily in Asia and Europe, and those in Oceania and Africa decreased before the opposite of the path from 2010 to 2015. However, while prices were in Europe for decades, the region has the highest suicide rate in 2021 in about nine deaths per 100,000 people. And Africa has the lowest number of deaths per 100,000.

This may be due to the differences in data collection. Many European countries, for example, have strong systems to capture and report suicide death, which helps to inform the public health policy. “But this also means that they will show much higher rates than countries in Africa or parts of Asia where many resources are not devoted to seizing them [suicides]Nestadt says.

Suicide rates were much greater in high -income countries of low and medium -income countries, which could decrease to monitoring systems. Cultural differences may also play a role, given some countries that suicide more than others. This means that some suicides may not be recorded in this way, says Nestadt.

Previous studies have found similar declines in global suicide rates, however this is the first analysis that includes data from the first years of Covid-19 epidemic. Many public health experts are concerned about suicide from suicide that would jump during the epidemic, as more people suffered from unemployment, isolation and loss of loved ones. “Basically, it was an ideal storm for suicide,” says Nestiat. “However, what ended is the decrease in suicide rates.” The global suicide rate decreased by about 1.5 percent every year between 2010 and 2019. But during the epidemic, it decreased by about 1.7 percent.

“We tend to see – not always – a decrease in national tragedies or major global disasters,” says Nestadt. “It’s okay not to be fine. It is expected not to be well.” Many governments provide support during crises, such as crisis lines, improvement of mental health care and financial assistance. “It can be said, from the perspective of suicide, it was a success in many ways how we dealt with the epidemic.”

If current trends persist, researchers estimate that the global suicide rate will decrease beyond 2050, to less than 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

“These are not inevitable deaths. Many, many of whom can be prevented.” “When we see that there are places that did something right, which resulted in life, and this is encouraging.”

Do you need an ear listening? UK Samarin: 116123 (Samaritans); American Life and Crisis: 988 (988Lifeline.org). Visit bit.ly/suicidehelplines For services in other countries.

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