Mental Health
Trends in Suicide Mortality by Method among US Individuals aged 10-24 Years from 1999 to 2024 Anne Bischops* Anne Bischops Bischops Bischops Bischops Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children’s Hospital
Background
For over a decade, suicide has been the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-24 in the United States (US). From 1999 to 2019, suicide rates increased by 46%. However, recent temporal trends after the COVID-19 pandemic remain unclear. We examined suicide mortality patterns, focusing on method use by sex and age group.
Methods
Using publicly available mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), we analyzed national-level suicide rates from 1999 to 2024 by method. Four suicide method categories were considered: firearm, poisoning, asphyxiation, and other. For each method, both crude and age-standardized suicide mortality rates were estimated and stratified by sex and age group. Changing trend time points and annual percent change (APC) were determined via Joinpoint regression models, using R and the NCI Joinpoint software.
Results
Following a downward trend from 2018 to 2020, suicide mortality rates have since plateaued. Rates declined among ages 15-19 (APC 2017-2024: -3.3, p=0.027) and 20-24 (APC 2021-2024: -5.8, p=0.038), but not among ages 10-14. Although rates were three times higher among males in 1999-2017, the sex gap decreased by 9.3% since 2017. Firearms remained the leading method, predominantly used by males and 15-to 24-year-olds, although their use was increasing among females and 10-to 14-year-olds. Asphyxiation was most common among females and ages 10-14. Poisoning and other methods showed a steady rise. Results were robust to age standardization.
Discussion
Adolescent suicide mortality rates have plateaued, suggesting that earlier progress in prevention efforts may have leveled off during the pandemic. Firearm-related suicides are rising among individuals aged 10-14 and females. Further, suicides by poisoning are increasing across all age groups and both sexes. The implementation of targeted, sex- and age-sensitive approaches will be key to reinforcing the effectiveness of suicide prevention efforts.
