US suicide rate fell last year after decade of steady rise - Fox News

Kathryn Smerling gives tips on handling mental health during coronavirus, including rewarding yourself and staying organized.

suicide rate fell slightly last year, the first annual decline in more than a decade, according to new government data.

The fall may be partly due to years of suicide prevention efforts, like increasing mental health screenings, she said.

In 2018, the national suicide rate hit its highest level since 1941 — 14.2 per 100,000 people.

The firearm death rate was flat, probably because the small decline in suicides was offset by a slight uptick in gun homicides.

life expectancy calculation for 2019 should stay the same as it was in 2018 or maybe even increase slightly, said Robert Anderson, who oversees death data for the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

CORONAVIRUS, ELECTION STRESS IMPACTING NATION'S MENTAL HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGISTS WARN.

"There are clear forces pressing suicide risk factors in a negative direction,” Moutier said, but that's doesn't mean suicide rates will automatically rise.

One is increasing acceptance that mental health distress is normal, and that it’s OK to seek counseling.

Anderson noted many COVID-19 deaths have been in the same set of late-middle-aged white people who are considered at high risk for suicide.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).