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7% Of NYC Suicides Are Subway-Related
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 24, 2012
Modified Feb 24, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 24, 2012
Modified Feb 24, 2012
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When it comes to suicide, the Big Apple is not top tomato. According to a new report from the city Health Department [PDF] New Yorkers are less likely to successfully kill themselves than the average American. Still, every year an average of 475 New Yorkers kill themselves and more than 3,600 are hospitalized with self-inflected injuries.
According to the city, since 2000 the the overall suicide rate in the city has held steady in comparison to the rest of the country with us seeing 6 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 11 per. In New York City the most common method of killing oneself is hanging (28%) followed by jumping from a high building (18%), poisoning (16%) and firearms (16%). Interestingly, seven percent of suicides in the city are subway-related.
How one kills oneself apparently varies by gender. "More than nine in 10 (93%) of all firearm suicides are among men, but suicides by intentional poisoning are almost evenly split between men and women (55% and 45%, respectively)." But that only holds to a certain degree. Nearly three quarters of the suicide victims in the city are men (also, roughly one-third of those who kill themselves appear to have been drinking at the time).
Beyond the good news that it is definitely harder to kill yourself in NYC than in the rest of the USA, the Bloomberg administration has latched onto one specific data point in the report: the low percentage of firearm deaths. In 2010, firearms were used in just 12% of the city’s 503 suicides, compared to 51% nationally. And since we all know Mayor Bloomberg hates guns, he was happy to announce on the radio today that "The rate of suicide in New York City is almost half of what it is in the country on average," he said. "And most of that comes from the difficulty in getting a gun."
Beyond the politics of guns though, suicide is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. If you or someone you love wants help and information on depression or a drinking or substance abuse problem, there are many options available to you starting first and foremost with your doctor. Beyond that, the city runs a free, 24-hour confidential help line for city residents at 1-800-LIFE-NET.
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department of health
doh
health department
mayor bloomberg
subway
suicide
Garth Johnston
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