The provisional U.S. suicide rate was 14.3 per 100,000 people in 2022. Approximately 70% of adults with PTSD never receive treatment, and childhood adversity more than doubles the risk of a suicide attempt.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, provisional U.S. suicide rate was 14.3 per 100,000 (CDC faststats provisional update context)
- In 2021, 1.3% of U.S. adults reported suicide attempt requiring medical treatment (NSDUH 2021)
- WHO reports that for every suicide death, there are many more attempts (WHO notes ratio estimates of attempts vs deaths)
- 1.0% of U.S. adults reported experiencing trauma in the past year and still being impacted (2018)
- 3.6% of adults in the U.S. reported current PTSD (2019)
- Approximately 70% of adults with PTSD never receive treatment
- In a large cohort analysis, individuals who had experienced childhood adversity had a 2.5x higher risk of suicide attempt (meta-analytic estimate, childhood adversity and suicide attempts)
- 31% of surveyed clinicians reported not using any standardized suicide risk assessment tool (U.S. survey, 2020)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) reduces depressive symptoms by a standardized mean difference of -0.71 on average versus control in meta-analyses (suicide-related CBT outcomes in broader mental health literature)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) reduces self-harm episodes with a mean effect size around 0.37 vs control in meta-analyses
- In the U.S., suicide attempts cost an estimated $11.3 billion in 2017 (medical expenditures) (cost analysis)
- In 2012, the lifetime economic cost per individual with PTSD ranged from $1.1 million to $3.0 million (U.S. cost-of-illness estimates)
- In 2013, the lifetime economic cost per person with major depressive disorder was estimated at $8,500 (direct medical costs) (U.S. economic burden study)
- The global suicide prevention market projected CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2027 (market research estimate)
- The mental health apps market projected CAGR of 17.0% from 2024 to 2030 (market research estimate)
Suicide and trauma remain widespread, but proven therapies and support like safety planning can meaningfully reduce risk.
Related reading
01 · Category
Monitoring & Trends6 stats
01
In 2022, provisional U.S. suicide rate was 14.3 per 100,000 (CDC faststats provisional update context)
02
In 2021, 1.3% of U.S. adults reported suicide attempt requiring medical treatment (NSDUH 2021)
03
WHO reports that for every suicide death, there are many more attempts (WHO notes ratio estimates of attempts vs deaths)
04
In 2017, people aged 25–44 accounted for 34.1% of suicide-related ED visits (CDC analysis)
05
In 2019, the U.S. suicide rate peaked at 14.5 per 100,000 (CDC MMWR mortality rate analysis for 2019)
06
In the U.S., 2021 national survey found 0.9% of adults had a suicide plan and 0.4% attempted suicide (NSDUH 2021 estimates)
Interpretation
Monitoring & Trends Interpretation
Under Monitoring and Trends, suicide burden in the US shows a persistently high and concentrated pattern, with the suicide rate peaking around 14.5 per 100,000 in 2019 and still at 14.3 per 100,000 in 2022, alongside evidence that attempts are far more common than deaths, given that 1.3% of adults reported a medically treated attempt in 2021.
02 · Category
Incidence & Mortality1 stats
01
1.0% of U.S. adults reported experiencing trauma in the past year and still being impacted (2018)
Interpretation
Incidence & Mortality Interpretation
In the Incidence and Mortality category, 1.0% of U.S. adults reported experiencing trauma in the past year and still being impacted in 2018, showing that a measurable share of the population continues to carry the burden rather than moving on quickly.
03 · Category
Risk Factors & Populations5 stats
01
3.6% of adults in the U.S. reported current PTSD (2019)
02
Approximately 70% of adults with PTSD never receive treatment
03
In a large cohort analysis, individuals who had experienced childhood adversity had a 2.5x higher risk of suicide attempt (meta-analytic estimate, childhood adversity and suicide attempts)
04
In 2019, suicide rates among Black people were 8.7 per 100,000 (age-adjusted)
05
In the U.S., suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10–34 years
Interpretation
Risk Factors & Populations Interpretation
Risk factors and populations show a stark disparity and unmet need: 3.6% of U.S. adults have current PTSD yet about 70% never receive treatment, and childhood adversity is linked to a 2.5 times higher risk of suicide attempt, with suicide also ranking as the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34 and affecting Black people at 8.7 per 100,000.
More related reading
04 · Category
Interventions & Care Delivery12 stats
01
31% of surveyed clinicians reported not using any standardized suicide risk assessment tool (U.S. survey, 2020)
02
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) reduces depressive symptoms by a standardized mean difference of -0.71 on average versus control in meta-analyses (suicide-related CBT outcomes in broader mental health literature)
03
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) reduces self-harm episodes with a mean effect size around 0.37 vs control in meta-analyses
04
Collaborative care for depression can reduce suicide deaths by 33% (observational/health-system evidence synthesized in peer-reviewed literature)
05
Safety planning interventions reduce suicidal ideation with a pooled effect size of d≈0.55 in meta-analytic evidence
06
Caring Contacts follow-up (e.g., brief messages) reduce suicide attempts in a meta-analysis by about 41% (relative reduction)
07
KIDNET trial: a structured trauma intervention showed significant improvements in PTSD symptom scores with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of -0.62
08
Prolonged Exposure therapy for PTSD shows medium-to-large reductions in PTSD severity (meta-analysis pooled effect size g≈0.99)
09
Trauma-focused CBT leads to significant decreases in PTSD severity with a pooled effect size around g≈0.84 in meta-analysis
10
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) reduces PTSD severity with a pooled effect size around g≈0.83 compared with controls in meta-analysis
11
In the U.S., 988 launched on July 16, 2022 and provides access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
12
In 2020–2021, 988 answered 97% of calls within 10 seconds (service level reported by Lifeline Network/988 reporting)
Interpretation
Interventions & Care Delivery Interpretation
Across Interventions and Care Delivery, evidence suggests that structured clinical approaches can meaningfully improve outcomes, with safety planning cutting suicidal ideation by a pooled effect size of about d 0.55, Caring Contacts lowering suicide attempts by roughly 41%, and collaborative depression care reducing suicide deaths by 33%.
05 · Category
Costs & Economics7 stats
01
In the U.S., suicide attempts cost an estimated $11.3 billion in 2017 (medical expenditures) (cost analysis)
02
In 2012, the lifetime economic cost per individual with PTSD ranged from $1.1 million to $3.0 million (U.S. cost-of-illness estimates)
03
In 2013, the lifetime economic cost per person with major depressive disorder was estimated at $8,500(direct medical costs) (U.S. economic burden study)
04
In 2019, U.S. emergency department visits for suicide attempts had an estimated $4.3 billion in costs (CDC ED analysis with economic estimates)
05
In the U.S., the direct medical cost for suicide attempts was $17.7 billion in 2013 (CDC-related cost estimate cited in peer-reviewed literature)
06
2019 U.S. mental health spending increased by 27.3% from 2014 to 2019 (SAMHSA spending trend report)
07
In 2017, the average inpatient cost per suicide attempt hospitalization in the U.S. was $22,383(health-care cost analysis)
Interpretation
Costs & Economics Interpretation
For the Costs & Economics angle, U.S. suicide and mental health burdens are reflected in large, rising financial impacts, including $11.3 billion in medical expenditures for suicide attempts in 2017, $17.7 billion in direct medical costs in 2013, and a 27.3% increase in U.S. mental health spending from 2014 to 2019.
06 · Category
Industry & Technology3 stats
01
The global suicide prevention market projected CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2027 (market research estimate)
02
The mental health apps market projected CAGR of 17.0% from 2024 to 2030 (market research estimate)
03
In 2021, 62% of clinicians used electronic health records (EHR) for mental/behavioral health documentation (survey estimate)
Interpretation
Industry & Technology Interpretation
From an industry and technology angle, the suicide prevention market is expected to grow at a 5.8% CAGR from 2022 to 2027 while mental health apps are projected to surge at 17.0% CAGR from 2024 to 2030, alongside clinicians already using EHRs for mental health documentation at 62% in 2021.
report visual · Comparison
Suicide, trauma, and risk: key indicators
Across survey and mortality data, suicide-related impact is substantial, with trauma and PTSD linked to higher risk and notable gaps in treatment and risk assessment.
Approximately 70% of adults with PTSD never receive treatment70%
31% of surveyed clinicians reported not using any standardized suicide risk assessment tool (U.S. survey, 2020)
31%
3.6% of adults in the U.S. reported current PTSD (2019)
3.6%
1.0% of U.S. adults reported experiencing trauma in the past year and still being impacted (2018)
1%
source-verifiedcdc.gov · ptsd.va.gov · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2020
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Trauma And Suicide Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trauma-and-suicide-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Trauma And Suicide Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/trauma-and-suicide-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Trauma And Suicide Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trauma-and-suicide-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)