Suicides Today Have Reached Epidemic Levels

Nearly 50,000 Americans die by suicide annually. It's time to pursue answers.

Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

Key points

• The number of suicides in the United States has risen steadily over the past 20 years.
• Twice as many Americans kill themselves than are murdered.
• More than half of all firearm deaths are suicides.

Except for a small decline during the pandemic, the number of suicides in the United States has risen steadily the past 20 years. Today, nearly 50,000 Americans die by suicide annually.[1] That’s equivalent to 9/11 happening every two weeks. It’s also equivalent to a fully-loaded commercial airliner crashing every other day.

Another way to think about suicide is to compare it with homicide. More than twice as many people in the U.S. kill themselves than are murdered.[2]

In small communities, murders receive widespread attention, for good reason. They are relatively rare, and many people know the victim. Even in large cities, however, where murders occur more frequently and the victims tend to be strangers, most homicides receive press attention. “If it bleeds, it leads” isn’t an empty phrase but rather one that means greater sales for media outlets when they report stories that are filled with violence and bloodshed.

The opposite is true when it comes to suicides. People don’t want to read about them, which makes media coverage minimal to nonexistent. The social prohibition that keeps people from talking about suicide—unless a well-known figure is involved—also keeps the press from covering it.

According to Steve Dubner, host of the popular radio show Freakonomics, “Murder represents a fractured promise within our social contract, and it’s got an obvious villain. Suicide represents—well, what does it represent? It’s hard to say. It carries such a strong taboo that most of us just don’t discuss it.”[3]

The disparity in news coverage is one reason why the misperception exists that homicides are more frequent than suicides. There is another reason, however: television. By age 18, the average person will have witnessed 40,000 murders on TV, compared with 800 suicides.[4] In other words, 50 times more homicides are depicted than suicides, furthering the mistaken belief that murder is common while suicide isn’t.

Advocates of gun reform often cite the number of firearm deaths in the United States as a reason for tougher restrictions on the sale and distribution of guns. Rarely, though, do they or others note that more than half of all firearm deaths in this country are the result of suicides, not homicides. Personally, I’m in favor of anything that makes procuring a gun harder, but it bothers me when suicide is removed from the equation. I understand why—people will be less moved to act if suicide is mentioned, or 20,000 homicide deaths per year from firearms doesn’t have the same impact as 48,000 gun deaths, including suicides[5]—but it serves as another way of keeping suicide underreported and in the shadows.

Some people assume that suicides can’t be prevented, much less ended. They assume that if someone wants to die by suicide, it might be possible to stop him or her initially, but sooner or later the person will find a way to do it. This assumption is an enabling one. It enables the rest of us to be passive, and that is at the heart of the problem. Answers exist, but often people aren’t willing to pursue them. It's time—past time—that we started.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7, dial 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.