A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics outlines America's troubling suicide statistics, noting that “suicide has risen almost steadily during the 21st century, with increases experienced for both males and females in nearly every age and race and Hispanic-origin group.”
Nearly 50,000 people died of suicide in 2022, surpassing the previous record set in 2018 and rising 3% year over year. While suicide rates among younger groups aged 10-34 decreased, suicide rates among adults aged 35 and up increased. Consistent with previous years, suicide is far more prevalent among men (39,255) than women (10,194).
The CDC’s Chief Medical Officer, Debra Houry, called the upward-trending data “troubling” and said immediate action is required. In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a call to action on a national strategy for suicide prevention.
“Mental health has become the defining public health and societal challenge of our time. Far too many people and their families are suffering and feeling alone,” said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
For almost a quarter of a century, Americans’ mental well-being has deteriorated. Annual suicide rates have never returned to levels reported in 2000. So what has changed?
Cultural and political tensions have severely divided Americans. From technology-spurred isolation and heightened cultural divisions – mixed in with Covid-19 lockdowns and new remote lifestyles – so many factors play into the mental instabilities seen today. Nine in ten Americans believe the nation is facing a mental health crisis, and historical data from two decades ago reaffirms the overwhelming sentiment.
While there is no single answer to these tragic numbers, we can put an emphasis on faith, setting our hope in a greater authority than man. Government control has grown and so has the people’s fixation on politicians. For our own sake, we must recenter our lives around what truly matters, starting with God and family.
You can support Convention of States, a movement built on Judeo-Christian values, in its work to return our nation to its founding principles by signing the petition below.
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