Suicide Rates For Male, Female American Workers Surge 34 Percent - US Health Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2018) US suicide rates increased 34 percent in the 15-year period ending in 2016, with the sharpest increases for both men and women occurring between 2012 and 2015, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported on Thursday.

"The suicide rate among the US working age population increased 34 percent during 2000-2016," a CDC press release said. "A new report published today in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) examined lifetime occupations of 22,053 people aged 16-64 years old who died by suicide in the 17 states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) in 2012 and 2015."

From 2012 to 2015, suicide rates increased most for males in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations (47 percent) and for females in food Preparation and Serving Related occupations (54 percent), the release said.

Suicide rates were highest among males in the construction and extraction occupational group - 43.6 per 100,000 working persons in 2012 and 53.2 per 100,000 in 2015 and highest among females in the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group (11.7 and 15.6 per 100,000 in 2012 and 2015 respectively), the release added.

The workplace is an important place for suicide prevention efforts because the workplace is where many adults spend a great deal of their time, the release said.

Workplace suicide prevention strategies include employee assistance programs, workplace wellness programs, technology to provide online mental health screenings and web-based tools, reduction of stigma toward help-seeking and mental illness, and increased awareness of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, according to the release.