Firearm Suicide: The Role Of Suicide In The United States

Firearm suicide. Firearm suicide has the highest fatality rate since individuals who select this method have a very low chance of survival (Kposowa, 2013; Streib et al, 200;). According to latest statistical data, firearm suicide has accounted for 6.7 deaths per 100, 000 population globally (CDC, 2015). In the United States, firearm suicide has contributed to 51% of all suicides in 2013 (ASFP, 2015).
When referring to firearm suicide, handguns have been the most frequently used class of firearm, while long guns and rifles were used less often in suicide cases (Streib et al., 2007). In the United States, the elderly has the highest rate of gun ownership (Pinholt, Mitchell, Butler, & Kumar, 2014). In specific, more than 17 million elderly
Suicide by overdose is the third most popular method of suicide in the United States. In 2013, suicide by poisoning accounted for 6,637 deaths, which equated 2.1 deaths per 100,000. The age-adjusted drug poisoning death rate including unintentional, suicides, and undetermined intent increased from 6.2 to 13.8 per 100, 000 from 2000 to 2013 (CDC, 2015). The trends of suicide by overdose are influenced by the physical availability of the substances, the degree of suicide intent, and medication prescription and purchasing patterns. During the early 1900s, household cleaning products and disinfectants were used in suicide by overdose, whereas medications accounted for most suicides by overdose in 2001 to 2007 in England and Whales (Thomas, Beech, & Gunnell, 2013). In reviewing the trends in substances used in suicide using data of attempted suicide between 1985 and 1997 in the United Kingdom, Townsend, Hawton, Harriss, Bale, and Bond (2001) proposed that young adults and individuals who attempted suicide for the first time turn to other readily available drugs such as Paracetamol because they are less likely to have access to prescribed medication. In contrast, psychotropic medications such as antidepressants and tranquilizers were more common in suicide attempt repeaters and older adults. In the United States, White, MacInnes, Hingson, and Pan (2013) reported that the over-the-counter pain medications such as Ibuprofen were the most common used drugs for suicidal behaviors in adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, they observed a growing trend toward the use of sedatives, hypnotics, and tranquilizers in young adults due to an increase in access to those substances. When examining suicide data for individuals aged 18 to 95, who committed non-pharmaceutical suicides, Cantrell and Lucas (2014) proposed that inhaled toxins including intentional CO inhalation, ethylene glycol, cyanide, and helium are the most popular methods. This is likely