As the federal government prepares to launch the national three-digit number “988” for the mental health crisis hotline next month, a new KFF analysis shows that suicide death rates increased by 12 percent in the decade from 2010 to 2020 — with death rates rising the fastest among people of color, younger individuals, and people who live in rural areas.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Health care providers are not immune. In fact, physicians take their own lives at twice the rate of the general population.
