August 2020 - Since 2008, suicide has ranked as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with deaths by firearm, suffocation, and poisoning as the leading methods. In urban areas, suicide rates have increased 34% from 2000 to 2018. During the same time period, the rural suicide rate increased by 48%. In both urban and rural areas, suicides for males were higher than for females. Rural communities face unique barriers to mental health services in the forms of accessibility, acceptability, and availability.
