Three leading suicide methods in the United States, 2017-2019: Associations with decedents' demographic and clinical characteristics

Background and aimsThe U.S. suicide data show that use of lethal methods, specifically firearms and hanging/suffocation, has been increasing among young and middle-aged adults of both sexes over the past decades. In this study, we examined demographic and clinical correlates of use of firearms, hanging/suffocation, and poisoning as suicide methods among suicide decedents age 18+. MethodsData came from the 2017-2019 National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS; N = 94,454, age >= 18 at the time of suicide; 74,042 men and 20,412 women). We fit generalized linear models (GLMs) for a Poisson distribution with a log link to examine (1) changes in four suicide methods (firearms, hanging/suffocation, poisoning, and other) during the study period, controlling for sex and age group; and (2) correlates of firearms, hanging/suffocation, and poisoning use. ResultsIn all age groups, 55% of men and 30% of women used firearms; 28% of men and 29% of women hanging/suffocation; 9% of men and 32% of women poisoning, and 8% of men and 9% of women other methods. Men age < 45 had higher likelihood of firearm and/or hanging/suffocation use than those age 45-64. Women ageImplicationsThe findings call for the following suicide prevention strategies: (1) restricted access to firearms; (2) improved access to mental health/substance use treatment; (3) improved long-term and palliative care services for those (mostly older adults) with physical health problems; (4) financial/housing support policies to mitigate economic hardship; and (5) more research to identify effective strategies to curtail the increasing use of firearm and hanging/suffocation among young and middle-aged adults.

Automated summary

The U.S. suicide data indicates an increase in the use of lethal methods among young and middle-aged adults. This study examines the demographic and clinical factors associated with the use of firearms, hanging/suffocation, and poisoning as suicide methods.