Suicide Facts and Figures

* All information on this page is from the report Preventing Suicide in Colorado:  Progress Achieved & Goals for the Future, compiled by Mental Health America of Colorado and the Colorado Trust .

 

Key Facts and Figures

 

A note about rate vs. numbers:  The rate of suicide in a specific population can be high while the actual number of deaths can be low, and vice versa.  For example, between 1999 and 2007, about 400 males aged 75 or older died by suicide compared with more than 2,000 males between 35 and 54, over the same time period.  The suicide rate for the older men (58 per 100,000 older men in Colorado's population), however, far exceeds the rate of the younger men (33 per 100,000) and that of any other age/gender group.  In other words, although the number of deaths may seem comparatively low for this elderly male population, the risk for suicide, as indicated by the rate of suicide, is very high.  The knowledge of the number of deaths in any given age group allows service providers to plan for the level of suicide prevention services that may be needed, while understanding suicide death rates pinpoints the groups most at risk.  Given the potentially different uses of such data, both the rates and numbers of death by suicide are presented in this information.

 

Suicide and suicide attempts are a major public health problem in Colorado. In 2007, more Coloradans died by suicide--805--than in motor vehicle accidents or from illnesses such as diabetes, pneumonia or breast cancer. While the state's average annual suicide rate has declined 6.5% subsequent to 1998, with 15.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 persons in Colorado, it remains significantly above the national average of 11 deaths per 100,000 persons, and as of 2005, sixth highest among the states.

 

Of the estimated 12,800 suicide attempts in the state each year, roughly one-fourth result in hospitalization.  There are, however, no statewide data about the estimated thousands of suicide attempters who are treated in emergency rooms and released or treated in primary care offices, or who receive no medical attention.

 

There are no definitive research findings that expalin the higher rates of suicide in Western mountain states or in Colorado.  Using general knowledge about risks for suicide and Colorado's demography, culture, and mental health services, Colorado Departement of Public Health and Environment staff and Colorado's suicide prevention stakeholders suggest a combination of factors have likely resulted in an above-average state suicide rate.  Lower population density as well as a high rate of migration into the state promotes social and geographical isolation that can contribute to greater suicide risk for Colorado residents.  There is also some evidence that high rates of gun ownership may contribute to the higher rates of suicide.  Other factors may be higher levels of stigma about the use of mental health services and less availability of such services in Colorado than states in other regions.

 

Culture, Race, and Ethnicity

The risk of suicide and attempted suicide varies by gender, age group, race and ethnicity.  From adolescence on, males are at significantly higher risk of death by suicide than females. The largest number of suicide deaths--roughly one-third in a given year--occur among men ages 35 to 54.  By contrast, women in the same age group account for 10% of all suicide deaths each year.

 

While men are more likely to die by suicide, women are more likely to attempt suicide.  A major reason for this difference is that women who attempt suicide typically choose less lethal means and therefore do not die from their attempts.  Fifty-six percent of males in Colorado who die by suicide use a firearm; 33% of women who die by suicide use a firearm.  The risk of suicide increases among men as they age; for men 75 years and older, the suicide death rate (57.9) is about four times the statewide average of 15.7 per 100,000 persons.

 

Among Colorado's racial and ethnic populations, whites have the highest rate of death by suicide.  the annual average suicide rate among white residents (17.4 per 100,000 persons) is significantly higher than the rates for African-American (10.1), Hispanic/latino (9.7), Asian (9.0) and American Indian (12.7) Coloradans.

 

Cultural norms, beliefs and traditions can serve as protective factors against suicide behaviors and contribute to the lower suicide rates among some racial and ethnic populations.  For example, the strong sense of family as support and obligation is said to be a protective factor among Asian Americans, and religion has been identified as a protective factor among Latino-Hispanic Americans and African-American women.

 

In addition to lower rates than whites, there also are differences in some characteristics among the Hispanic/Latino population who complete suicide compared to Colorado's white population.  Hispanic/Latinos who die by suicide are less likely to have had a diagnosed mental health problem, perhaps because they did not access mental health services.  Also they are less likely to have had a chronic physical problem because of their younger age at the time of death.  The average age of Hispanic/Latino persons who die by suicide is 33, much younger than the average 46 years for Colorado's white population.

 

While the suicide rate for the Hispanic/Latino population in Colorado is lower than for non-Hispanic/Latino, white persons, the rate among Colorado's Hispanic/Latino population is almost twice the suicide rate of the U.S. Hispanic/Latino population (5.79).

 

Additionally national data indicate that even though suicide may be less frequent among some racial and ethnic groups than among whites, there is concern about the high rate of risk for suicide attempts among Latina youth.  The Center for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance has consistently documented the higher rates of attempted suicide among Latina school girls.  There is no reason to believe that colorado's Latina youth have less risk for suicide behavior than the respondents in the national survey.  Rather, the national findings have assisted in the identification of this subpopulation  in need of attention to prevent suicidal behaviors.

 

Finally, although the number of suicides among Colorado's American Indican population is too low to analyze and draw definitive conclusions about, the high rate of suicide among this population is congruent with national information.  In the U.S., American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest suicide rates of all ethnic groups, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.

 

Teenagers and Young Adults

Analysis of the suicide rate among Colorado teenagers (15-19 years) shows no significant change since 2000.  While the rate fluctuates from year to year, it has averaged 13.4 per 100,000, well above the U.S. average of 8.4 per 100,000 for this age group.

 

In a 2005 survey conducted at selected Colorado high schools, 10% of students reported having made a suicide plan, 6.7% reported having attempted suicide, and 1% reported having received medical treatment following a suicide attempt.

 

Young adults (20-24 years) in Colorado are at an even higher risk for suicide than adolescents.  The average suicide rate for this group between 1999 and 2005 was 17.8 per 100,000, compared with the national average of 12.3 per 100,000.