Are you looking at the year the death happened, or the year it was registered?
We think there's a "cohort effect" with suicide deaths. So, all people born in decade X have a higher rate of death by suicide, and we see this as they get older. Here's an example from England.
> Possible contributing factors for the rise in suicide rates among middle-aged adults include the recent economic downturn (historically, suicide rates tend to correlate with business cycles, with higher rates observed during times of economic hardship) (6,7); a cohort effect, based on evidence that the "baby boomer" generation had unusually high suicide rates during their adolescent years (8); and a rise in intentional overdoses associated with the increase in availability of prescription opioids (1,2). Additional research is needed to understand the cause of the increase in age-adjusted suicide rates and why the extent of the increase varies across racial/ethnic populations.
I don’t think that really addresses my point though. My point is that comparing to 1999 might create a skewed statistical perspective because that seems to be around the time when Americans were engaging in the least self harm.
Are you looking at the year the death happened, or the year it was registered?
We think there's a "cohort effect" with suicide deaths. So, all people born in decade X have a higher rate of death by suicide, and we see this as they get older. Here's an example from England.
https://twitter.com/ProfLAppleby/status/1161940914308300801?...
Here's CDC suggesting that may be a factor: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6217a1.htm?s_cid...
> Possible contributing factors for the rise in suicide rates among middle-aged adults include the recent economic downturn (historically, suicide rates tend to correlate with business cycles, with higher rates observed during times of economic hardship) (6,7); a cohort effect, based on evidence that the "baby boomer" generation had unusually high suicide rates during their adolescent years (8); and a rise in intentional overdoses associated with the increase in availability of prescription opioids (1,2). Additional research is needed to understand the cause of the increase in age-adjusted suicide rates and why the extent of the increase varies across racial/ethnic populations.