U.S. suicide rate increased in 2022 as Long Island sees more demand for services

The U.S. suicide rate increased in 2022 to the same level as 2018, matching the highest rate nationally since 1941, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.

Mental health experts on Long Island said the numbers reflect a growing need for services they are seeing in local communities.

"There have been increasing rates of depression, bipolar disorder and substance abuse," said Dr. Manish Sapra, executive director of behavioral health services at Northwell Health. "As those rates go up, suicide rates go up."

The overall rate jumped 30% between 2002 and 2018 from 10.9 deaths per 100,000 people to 14.2, before decreasing for two years and then climbing back up.

The report from the National Center for Health Statistics examined suicide rates in the U.S. between 2002 and 2022 by gender and age. While it did not break down rates locally, separate CDC data showed New York appears to follow a similar trend. Rates decreased from 2018 to 2021 before increasing in 2022 to higher levels.

Christian Racine, a psychologist and senior director of clinical services at the Huntington-based nonprofit Family Service League, said many people had trouble adjusting after the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At the beginning, people were reaching out and supporting each other in ways they had not done previously," he said. "People hunkered down."

Some people started to struggle with the aftermath of the pandemic.

"We have definitely seen an increase" in serious behavioral health issues since 2020 and 2021, Racine said. "This can often lead to self-harming behaviors."

He said reducing boundaries to mental health care and providing better, faster access to services is key to tackling the rising suicide rates.

Katie Stoll of the Long Island Crisis Center said more people are reaching out to their hotline for help, which is a good thing.

"Our goal is to de-escalate people who are suicidal," she said of the hotline. "They may be thinking about suicide, but they are calling."

During the early days of the pandemic, commercials reminded people it was OK to struggle and telehealth expanded access to therapy. Stoll said these allowed people to seek mental health treatment.

According to the CDC report, rates increased between 2020 and 2022 for men and women 25 and older. Rates for females 10 to 24 remained similar between 2020 and 2022, while rates for males in that age range declined.

The suicide rate for men was 23 per 100,000 standard population in 2022, while for women it was 5.9.

For men, the rates were highest for those 75 and older between 2002 and 2022 while the lowest rates were found among 10-14 year olds.

For women during that 20 year period, those between the ages of 45 and 64 had the highest rates while — same as men — 10-14 year olds had the lowest.

Between 2020 and 2020, suicide rates went up for all men and women over the age of 25, statistics show.

Firearm-related suicide among men increased from 10.3 in 2006 to 13.5 in 2022, the report noted. For women, the rate for firearm-related suicides went from 1.4 in 2007 to 2.0 in 2022. 

"We need to focus on making access to mental health treatment a priority, especially earlier in life," Sapra said. "We need to catch kids earlier."

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.