About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever [1], according to new government data.
The largest increases were seen in older adults. Deaths rose nearly 7pc in people ages 45 to 64, and more than 8pc in people 65 and older. White men, in particular, have very high rates, the CDC said.
Commenting on the news, sociologist Brad Wilcox pointed to family breakdown as a cause [2]: “Dramatic declines in marriage, childbearing & community mean millions of Americans are disconnected from the social ties that protect us from ultimate act of hopelessness, he said.