Suicide

Suicides in Russia

Main article: Suicides in Russia

2023: US war veterans can be treated at any clinic due to wave of suicides

On January 13, 2023, the US Department of Veterans Affairs announced that war veterans in a state of "acute suicidal crisis" would be able to receive free treatment at any clinic. This initiative is aimed at reducing the number of suicides among former military personnel, which remains very high.

As part of a new initiative aimed at reducing suicide among veterans, the latter will be able to go to any medical facility in the United States free of charge for emergency medical care, including inpatient treatment for up to 30 days and outpatient treatment for up to 90 days.

Veterans in suicidal crisis to get free medical care

Veterans in a suicidal crisis can now get the free world-class emergency medical care they deserve, regardless of where they need it, when they need it, or if they are included in the Veterans Assistance Program, said Virginia Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough[1]

2022: US records record number of suicides

In 2022, 49,449 suicides were recorded in the United States - this is a record high in the entire history of collecting relevant statistics (since 1941). By comparison, 48,183 Americans committed suicide in 2021. Thus, year-on-year growth was recorded at 2.6%. Such figures are reflected in the report of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was published at the end of November 2023.

Men are about four times more likely to commit suicide than women, the report said. So, in 2022, 39,255 suicides were registered among representatives of the strong half of humanity and 10,194 cases among the weak. In 2021, these values ​ ​ were 38,358 and 9825, respectively. Thus, the growth in these groups year-on-year amounted to 2.3% and 3.8%.

In 2022, 49,449 suicides occurred in the United States

The suicide rate in 2022 was at 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the report. A year earlier, the figure was 14.1 per 100,000 population. Despite an overall rise in suicide deaths, data for 2022 shows signs of improved rates among children, adolescents and young adults. Thus, the suicide rate among children aged 10 to 14 years decreased by 18% in 2022 - to 2 deaths for every 100,000 people, and the number of suicides among those aged 15 to 24 years fell by 9%, being at the mark of 14 deaths for every 100,000 population.

In the 25-44 age group, the number of suicides rose to 16,843 in 2022 against 16,724 in 2021, that is, increased by 0.7%. Among those aged 45 to 64, year-on-year growth was 6.6%, from 14,668 to 15,632. The most significant increase in suicides was noted among Americans over 65 years old - plus 8.1% year by year: if 2021 people in this group committed suicide 9652 year, then 10,433 in 2022.^[2]

2021

US suicides rise for first time since 2018

On September 30, 2022, federal research data was published, according to which the number of suicides in the United States in 2021 increased after two consecutive years of decline. Read more here.

Using AI cameras to spot suicidal people in South Korea

At the end of June 2021, the authorities of the capital of South Korea, together with the Seoul Institute of Technology, announced a pilot project in which artificial intelligence will be introduced into the city video surveillance system to detect and prevent suicide attempts on the city's bridges.

The AI technology under development since 2020 has been studying patterns of behavior through analysis of data from cameras, sensors and reports from rescue services, Reuters reported. According to chief investigator Kim Jun-chul, based on information from video cameras and an assessment of details such as human movements, algorithms can predict a dangerous situation and immediately warn the rescue service.

In South Korea, suicidal people began to be identified by city cameras equipped with AI

We believe that the new system will allow our teams to detect cases faster and help respond to calls more quickly, "said Kim Hyeong-gil, head of the rescue team.

In 2019, South Korea, where the population reaches 52 million people, recorded the highest suicide rate among developed countries. More than 13,700 people committed suicide in the same year, according to government figures. And since then, the situation has not changed for the better, moreover, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has only worsened. In Seoul, 500 suicide attempts are reported annually on 27 bridges across the Han River.

The number of emergency rescue operations in connection with suicide attempts in 2020 increased by about 30% compared to 2019, and many attempts were made by people aged 20 to 30, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought great economic difficulties and intensified the struggle for jobs, "said Kim Hyun Gil.

The system itself studies the footage, which can improve outcomes by significantly reducing false positives, the principal investigator said.

AI plans to connect to video cameras on all Seoul bridges by the end of 2021.^[3]

2020:6146 veteran suicides in the US

According to statistics, 6146 veterans committed suicide in the United States in 2020 alone. In 2020, adjusted for age and sex differences in the population, the suicide rate among veterans was 57.3% higher than among ordinary Americans. Among adult U.S. citizens who died by suicide in 2020, firearms were more commonly used among veterans (71.0%) than among ordinary residents (50.3%).

The study suggests that the average number of suicides of veterans per day increased from 16.4 in 2001 to 16.8 in 2020. It was the highest in 2018 - 18.6 cases per day. In the period 2001-2020. the number of veterans in the United States decreased by 24.6% - from 25.7 million to 19.4 million people. In the same years, the suicide rate among veterans aged 18 to 34 increased by 95.3%. For those aged 35 to 54, the rate increased by 12.9%; for citizens aged 55 to 74 years - by 58.2%; for those aged 75 and over, by 21.2%.^[4]

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