Suicide is one of the 10 leading causes of death in the US.
Pinpointing the cause of any one suicide is almost impossible, as there are a number of potential factors. This makes working on prevention efforts incredibly important.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed the jobs that have the highest rates of suicide per 100,000 people in an attempt to figure out where to focus those prevention efforts. (The analysis does not imply that the jobs themselves are the cause of suicide, only that there are indeed certain professions where rates of suicide are notably higher than average.)
The report, published in June, looked at suicide data organized by occupation from 17 states in 2012, compiled in the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System. The 17 states were: Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Overall, the report found that people working in farming, fishing, and forestry had the highest rate of suicide at 84.5 per 100,000 people.
Here are the occupations that had the highest suicide rate per 100,000 people:
The researchers did note that they were limited because about 5% of suicide cases couldn't be assigned an occupation. And the 17 states where data was collected aren't necessarily indicative of the entire nation.
The report noted the importance of suicide prevention practices, such as employee-assistance programs, workplace-wellness programs that educate on suicide warning signs, and employee education about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day: 1-800-273-8255.
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