According to statistics released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate in the US increased by 2.6% to 49,449 people in 2022.

The increase in 2022 follows a 5% increase in US citizens taking their own lives in 2021. Experts suggest that the figures reveal a worsening mental health crisis in the US.

INCREASE IN SUICIDE AMONG PEOPLE OVER 65

"Mental health has become the defining public health and societal issue of our time," Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in light of the new data.

He called the figures "a warning of how urgent it is that we further expand access to mental health services and address the root causes of mental health struggles."

US adults aged 65 and older saw a sharp 8.1% increase in suicides in 2022, to 10,433 cases. This figure reflects a continuation of historical data, which showed in June that the suicide rate in the 65+ age group increased by 62% between 2007 and 2021.

SUICIDAL IDEATION AMONG HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

The research also showed that the mental health crisis in the US is a problem affecting all age groups. A survey conducted by the CDC in March showed that among teenage high school girls, nearly one in three said they had thought about ending their lives at some point. More than half of this group, 57%, said they felt "constantly sad or hopeless".

"Nine in ten Americans believe America is facing a mental health crisis," US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra told CBS on Friday. New suicide data reported by the CDC shows why."

"Even one life lost to suicide is one too many. Yet too many people believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness."

Commenting on the June figures from the CDC, Becerra said the data shows that nearly one in five (18.4%) US adults have been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.