Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years - United States, 2015-2019

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are important public health concerns in the United States. In 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death among persons aged ≥18 years (adults); in that year, 45,861 adults died as a result of suicide, and an estimated 381,295 adults visited hospital emergency departments for nonfatal, self-inflicted injuries. Regional- and state-level data on self-inflicted injuries are needed to help localities establish priorities and evaluate the effectiveness of suicide prevention strategies. 2015-2019. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey of a representative sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged ≥12 years. NSDUH collects data on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; initiation of substance use; substance use disorders and treatment; health care; and mental health. This report summarizes data on responses to questions concerning suicidal thoughts and behaviors contained in the mental health section among sampled persons aged ≥18 years in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This report summarizes 2015-2019 NSDUH data collected from 254,767 respondents regarding national-, regional-, and state-level prevalence of suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts by age group, sex, race and ethnicity, region, state, education, marital status, poverty level, and health insurance status. Prevalence estimates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors varied by sociodemographic factors, region, and state. During 2015-2019, an estimated 10.6 million (annual average) adults in the United States (4.3% of the adult population) reported having had suicidal thoughts during the preceding year. The prevalence of having had suicidal thoughts ranged from 4.0% in the Northeast and South to 4.8% in the West and from 3.3% in New Jersey to 6.9% in Utah. An estimated 3.1 million adults (1.3% of the adult population) had made a suicide plan in the past year. The prevalence of having made suicide plans ranged from 1.0% in the Northeast to 1.4% in the Midwest and West and from 0.8% in Connecticut and New Jersey to 2.4% in Alaska. An estimated 1.4 million adults (0.6% of the adult population) had made a suicide attempt in the past year. The prevalence of suicide attempts ranged from 0.5% in the Northeast to 0.6% in the Midwest, South, and West and from 0.3% in Connecticut to 0.9% in West Virginia. Past-year prevalence of suicidal thoughts, suicide planning, and suicide attempts was higher amo