Suicide mortality rates have increased by 35% in the past two decades, with the greatest incidence among older adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest numbers show overall rates rising steadily from 1999 to 2018. Rates were higher for males than females over the entire time period, and highest in certain older age groups, the agency reported.
Among females, those at greatest risk were women ages 45 to 64, while the most at-risk males were age 75 and older. The numbers have stabilized for several demographic groups, however. These include females ages 45 to 64, 65 to 74, and 75 and over, and males aged 45 to 64.
People in rural areas are at greater risk than their urban counterparts, the agency also found.
