Study finds 32.0 and 8.0 suicide deaths per 100,000 working men, women

Suicide deaths in the civilian non-institutionalized working population are 32.0 and 8.0 per 100,000 among men and women, respectively, according to research published in the Dec. 15 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Aaron Sussell, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used data from the 2021 National Vital Statistics System to analyze suicide deaths by industry and occupation in 49 states.

The researchers found that the overall suicide rates in the civilian noninstitutionalized working population were 32.0 and 8.0 per 100,000 among men and women, respectively.

Mining (men, 72.0); construction (men, 56.0; women, 10.4); other services (e.g., automotive repair: men, 50.6; women, 10.4); arts, entertainment, and recreation (men, 47.9; women, 15.0); and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (men, 47.9) were the major industry groups with the highest suicide rates.

Construction and extraction (men, 65.6; women, 25.3); farming, fishing, and forestry (e.g., agricultural workers: men, 49.9); personal care and service (men, 47.1; women, 15.9); installation, maintenance, and repair (men, 46.0; women, 26.6); and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (men, 44.5; women, 14.1) were included as the major occupation groups with the highest suicide rates.

"Workplaces can integrate evidence-based suicide prevention strategies and training into existing policies and procedures, such as limiting access to lethal means, providing peer support, increasing access to mental health services, and reducing stigma to encourage easier access to quality care," the authors write.