Suicide rate among working-age people up 33% in past two decades: CDC

Washington — Workplaces can play an important role in suicide prevention, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say in a recent study.

The researchers looked at 2021 data from 49 states to calculate suicide rates for industry and occupational groups. They found that, overall, nearly 38,000 people (17.8 per 100,000 population) of working age (16-64 years old) died by suicide that year. That represents a 33% jump from the 2001 rate (13.4).

Major occupation groups with higher suicide rates included construction and extraction; farming, fishing and forestry; personal care and service; installation, maintenance and repair; and arts, design, entertainment, sports and media.

To help reverse the trend, the researchers recommend that employers integrate “evidence-based prevention strategies and training into existing policies and procedures.” That includes providing peer support, increasing access to mental health services, reducing stigma to encourage easier access to quality care and limiting access to “lethal means.”

CDC provides more information and guidance on its Suicide Prevention Resource for Action webpage.

The study was published online in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.