Following a Two-Year Decline, Suicide Rates Rose Again in 2021

That dip seemed to come to an end in 2021, with a total of 48,183 suicides.

Previous pandemics, wars and natural disasters have also seen a temporary drop in suicide rates, as communities mobilize to weather a crisis, said Dr. Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Collective emergencies bring a “retrenching, with psychological girding and resilience and working against a common enemy,” Dr. Moutier said. “That will wane, and then you will see rebounding in suicide rates. That is, in fact, what we feared would happen. And it has happened, at least in 2021.”

The data revealed good news, as well: There was a 12.4 percent overall decrease in the suicide rates among older Americans ages 45 to 64, with notable drops among white, Hispanic and Asian people in that age group.

This positive trend, Dr. Moutier noted, sometimes occurred alongside a negative trend in younger age groups. “What is changing, in terms of the environment and access to lethal means, and culture?” she said. “It’s almost like we have different subcultures, depending on your generation and the community you’re living in.”

One factor in rising suicide rates in younger age groups is the “remarkable weakening of our mental health response system,” which has made it extraordinarily challenging to get care for children and adolescents in crisis, said Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer of the American Psychological Association.

He offered the example of a friend, who, alarmed when their child expressed suicidal thoughts, waited 36 hours in an emergency room, was sent home after a ten-minute examination “with no resources whatsoever,” and then waited weeks for admission to an outpatient program.

“It’s just become completely untenable,” he said. “We shouldn’t be surprised that some kids are experiencing a worsening of their symptoms to the point where suicide is more common.”

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.