Suicide is Not Very Common

Fact: Every day, approximately 108 Americans take their own life (a person dies by suicide every 13.3 minutes in the United States).

Someone who wants to die by suicide just wants to die.

Fact: People who die by suicide do not necessarily want to end their lives. They want to get rid of bad things in their lives and the feelings of hopelessness.

People who attempt suicide just want attention.

Fact: A suicide attempt shows that someone needs help. People who attempt suicide often think it is the only way to stop their pain. Their feelings are very real.

People who survive a suicide attempt will never try to end their life again.

Fact: Most people who die by suicide have attempted suicide in the past.

Only people with a mental illness think about suicide.

Fact: You do not need to have a mental illness to think about suicide. Some people think about suicide because they do not know what else to do. But many people who attempt suicide or die by suicide have a mental illness. They may not know they have a mental illness at the time. (Ninety percent of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death.)

Talking about suicide will make people think about dying by suicide.

Fact: Talking about suicide does not give people ideas. Talking honestly about suicide is a good way to find out if someone needs help. Talking about suicide lowers the risk of suicide.


According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2014)

  • Over 39,000 people in the United States die by suicide every year.
  • According to the CDC, by the end of 2013, 41,149 suicided that year.
  • Suicide death is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
  • There are four male suicides for every female suicide, but three times as many females as males attempt suicide.
  • Over 60 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression.