Every 40 seconds, someone in the world takes their own life.
That’s at least 800,000 people a year, according to the World Health Organization, and the numbers are rising in some parts of the world. In the United States alone, suicide rates have increased by 35% between 1999 and 2018.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls suicide a “growing public health problem.”
And that’s only part of the grim picture to ponder today, on World Suicide Prevention Day. For each person who has died by suicide, many more people think about or attempt suicide, according to the CDC. In 2018, over 10 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, more than 3 million made a plan, and 1.4 million attempted suicide.
All ages, races and income levels are at risk, with 79% of all suicides occurring lower to middle income countries, according to WHO. And youth can be hardest hit: Suicide is third leading cause of death in 15- to 19-year-olds globally, the agency says.
In addition, experts fear suicidal thoughts may escalate due to economic hardship and stress caused by another lethal crisis facing the world — Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Read more about how you can help at CNN Health.com…