WHY PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE?
WHY PEOPLE COMMIT SUICIDE? Suicide is death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die. A suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions. Many factors can increase the risk for suicide or protect against it. Suicide is connected to other forms of injury and violence. For example, people who have experienced violence, including child abuse, bullying, or sexual violence have a higher suicide risk. Being connected to family and community support and having easy access to health care can decrease suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Suicide rates increased 30% during the period of 2000–2018, and declined in 2019 and 2020. Suicide is a leading cause of death with over 45,979 deaths in the United States alone during 2020. This is about one death every 11 minutes. The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. In 2020, an estimated 12.2 million American adults seriously thought a