This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

According to data reported by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. suicide rates have reached an all-time high.

According to the latest data, “approximately 49,500 people died by suicide in 2022.″ That’s an increase of 2.6% over the past year and is the highest number to date. The largest increases were seen in older adults — an 8% increase among people 65 and older. Men, especially, are at risk.

“Traditionally, men have been less likely to seek support for mental health issues. This is probably for a number of reasons, including stigma and the traditional ‘strong male’ stereotype still prevalent in our society – the idea that expressing emotion is a sign of weakness,” explained Dr. Natasha Bijlani, a consultant psychiatrist at Priory Hospital Roehampton.

Suicide is a leading cause of death for children and teens. In 2021 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on the shocking number of child suicides, noting that ”deaths by suicide among young Georgians more than doubled between 2010 and 2020.”

It can be challenging wanting to help someone seek help for thoughts surrounding suicide, but there are tools that can make seeking help easier. Recently, a group of men created a mental health app aimed to help other men called Mental.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Collect candy, play carnival games for prizes and do more not-so-scary stuff at Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday. (Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Zoo Atlanta

Featured

Corbin Spencer, right, field director of New Georgia Project and volunteer Rodney King, left, help Rueke Uyunwa register to vote. The influential group is shutting down after more than a decade. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2017)

Credit: Hyosub Shin