Over 25,000 people die each year in United States from suicides, according to Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These sad figures do not include suicide attempts which are even higher.

The most vulnerable are middle-aged adults as some recent figures show that the 45 to 54 age group recorded a rate of 17.6 suicides per every 100,000 people. The situation is even worse in most of the European and Asian countries where the map of suicide rates shows a large majority of countries going over 13 suicides per every 100,000 people. This is compared with US where the general rate is still below 10 per 100,000.

In Europe the best situation is in Greece, Italy, and Great Britain where the rate is below 6.5. In Asia almost the same figures are recorded in Iran. With suicide rates increasing by 60% worldwide in the last 45 years we have reasons for concern and look for more effective solutions. Researcher also shows that men are more vulnerable then women with a large difference in US – over three times greater risk for men.

Mental disorders are a major risk factor and it was detected in 90% of the American victims. An important point for those who want to protect someone they love is that most of the American men use guns in their actions. Drugs are the most common method for women.

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