This story was originally published in our July/August 2022 issue as "Redefining Suicide." Click here to subscribe to read more stories like this one.
Just speaking the word suicide — or reading this story headline — might make your stomach drop. There’s no gentle way to broach the subject. But the sheer number of people who are taking their own lives demands a closer look.
At least 700,000 people die by suicide each year, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. In the U.S., well over 45,000 people become victims annually. That’s more than the yearly count of deaths from breast cancer, leukemia or prostate cancer.
These numbers fit into a concerning trend: Americans are now killing themselves at a rate roughly 30 percent higher than just 20 years ago.
