Parasuicide—risky behavior exhibited by a person who shows disregard about whether the actions may result in death
Occult suicide—self-destructive behavior that may appear to be an accident
Suicide pact—two or more people who are involved together in planning and carrying out a suicide
Group suicide—may include unwilling participants who carry out a suicide action only because they are part of the group
Benign suicide (also called rational suicide)—suicide that is attempted in order to remain in control by deciding the appropriate time to die; seen primarily in the older adult population
Passive suicide (also called subintentioned suicide—passive attempt to hasten death, such as refusing medication or abusing alcohol; also seen primarily in the older adult population
Prevalence
One in three people considers suicide during some point in his or her lifetime. In 2010, 38,364 people in the United States committed suicide, making it the 10th leading cause of death in our country. Women attempted suicide 3 times more often than men, but men completed suicide more than 3 times as often as women. Firearms were the most commonly used method for completing suicide by men, and poisoning was the most common method used by women (CDC 2012).
Suicide rates are higher in times of economic stress and lower in times of war. Whites have the highest rate of completed suicide, followed by American Indians and Alaska Natives. Suicide rates are lowest for married individuals and highest for those who are divorced, separated, and widowed. Rates of suicide are also highest in the intermountain states (CDC 2012).
Mortality data for the United States from 2007 (11.5 total deaths per 100,000 population) indicate that the top 3 methods used in suicide completion were (CDC 2013):
Firearm suicides: 5.8 deaths per 100,000
Suffocation suicides: 2.7 deaths per 100,000
Poisoning suicides: 2.1 deaths per 100,000
Pathophysiology