Suicide Questions?

Question

I am a sophomore, and I have to write a 8 page report on suicide for psychology. I am having trouble finding a list of suicide rates, like whether suicide has increased or decreased, and the ratio of male to female suicides, and teenagers/young adults compared to older/elderly people. If anyone can help me with this, I would really appreciate it.

Answer 1

Tara had a good site.
You may also want to check:

Suicide in the U.S.: Statistics and Prevention
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/harmsway.cfm

2004 Official Final Data and Suicide in the United States (They're pdf files, so I can't put a direct link. You have to scroll down to 2004 Official Final Data and then Suicide in the United States) This page also has a youth, elderly, and African American suicide fact sheet.
http://www.suicidology.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=185

Mental Illness and Suicide - Facts
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/suicideprevention/suicidefacts.asp

About Suicide
http://www.sprc.org/suicide_prev_basics/about_suicide.asp

Lots of links and information on suicide
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/suicide.html

I can tell you that elderly people have the highest suicide rate. Females have a higher incidence of sucide attempts, while males have higher suicide rates.

Answer 2

Here are some facts I found on the websites listed below as references:

In 2004, suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States.

Some risk factors of suicides are age, gender, ethnic group, family history of a mental disorder or suicide, stressful life events, prior suicide attempts, family violence including phisical/sexual abuse and exposure to suicidal behavior.

Almost four times as many males die from suicide than females.

Firearms, suffication and poison are the most common methods of suicide.

In 2004, out of 100,000 children, 10-14 died by suicide.

In 2004, out of 100,000 adolescents, 15-19 died by suicide.

In 2004, out of 100,000 young adults, 20-24 died by suicide.

Young adults and adolescents were more likely to use firearms.

Children were more likely to use suffocation.

Almost four time as many males as females ages 15-19 died by suicide. More than six time as many males as females ages 20-24 died by suicide.

Out of 100,000 ages 65 and older 14.3 died by suicide in 2004.
Non-hispanic white men age 85 or older had an even higher rate with 17.8 deaths per 100,000.

Hope that this will help you with your research, visit the websites below for more info on suicides or try www.google.com. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Women attempt more suicides but men commit more suicides. Men tend to use more violent means, while women tend to take drugs. The elderly commit more suicides than people realize, but I don't know the stats.
You may want to look up Durkheim and his suicide studies. He wrote an entire book. He was a sociologist way back in the day. I don't know how recent your stats need to be.

Answer 4

All I can remember is that females commit suicide more than males, but males actually succeed at it.
And that it's mostly college students and elderly.

Answer 5

You might try this site.