Suicides of Young Adults in Rural Areas Far Surpass Those in Cities
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iStock/Thinkstock(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Americans ages 18-24 are at far greater risk of committing suicide if they live in rural areas as compared to their counterparts from urban areas.
A study conducted by Ohio State University researchers and published in JAMA Pediatrics says that almost twice as many young people in rural areas killed themselves from 1996 through 2010 than their city peers.
Study co-author Cynthia Fontanella explains the reasons may have to do with isolation, lack of mental health care facilities and greater availability of guns.
Suicide rates per 100,000 were 19.93 for rural males and 4.40 for rural females. In cities, the rate was 10.31 per 100,000 for males and 2.39 for females
Overall in the U.S., 66,600 young people took their own lives in the 15-year period that was studied, the third leading cause of death in this demographic. Guns were used in just over half the suicides and a third died from hanging or suffocation.
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