Mini-quiz: Suicide

Suicide is a major clinical and public health dilemma. Approximately what percentage of adults have made a serious suicide attempt?

For the answer, please click here.

Answer: D. It has been reported that approximately 5% of adults have made a serious suicide attempt.

The National Association of Suicidology offers these statistics:
•Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US (in the recent past, it was the 11th)
•One suicide occurs on average every 14.2 minutes
•Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds
•The elderly make up 12.9% of the population but 15.9% of all suicides
•Every year in the US, more than 18,500 men and women kill themselves with a gun
•An estimated 4.73 million Americans are survivors of suicide of a friend, family member, or loved one.

For more on this topic, please see "The Link Between Substance Abuse, Violence, and Suicide," by Mark Ilgen, PhD and Felicia Kleinberg, MSW.