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Recently, WLTX 19 ran a report on suicide deaths in South Carolina which showed that the rates of suicide are on the rise. The CDC reported that in 2014 there were 753 deaths by suicide in South Carolina, which ranks the state 23rd nationally. They also reported that a person within South Carolina dies by suicide every 11.5 hours. Additionally, suicide is the leading cause of death for South Carolina residents between the ages 10-14, the second leading cause of death for those between 25-34 and the third leading cause of death for those between 15-24 in South Carolina. More than twice as many South Carolinians die by suicide compared to homicide.
These suicides have significant financial costs as well. The combined costs of lifetime medical and work loss in 2010 due to suicide deaths in South Carolina was $748,610,000, which is an average of $1,175,213 per suicide death within the state.
According to worldlifeexpectancy.com, which uses information from the CDC as well, South Carolina had a death rate of 15.16 per 100,000 compared to a national rate of 12.97. According to the website, the following are the top ten South Carolina county suicide rates per 100,000.
1. Pickens 16.77
2. Oconee 16.35
3. Anderson 15.82
4. Cherokee 15.80
5. Union 15.42
6. Calhoun 15.15
7. Aiken 14.57
8. Horry 14.51
9. Newberry 14.20
10. Greenville 13.96
And here are the bottom ten…
37. Hampton 9.36
38. Edgefield 9.24
39. Lee 9.09
40. Sumter 9.08
41. Georgetown 9.06
42. Marion 8.97
43. Jasper 8.57
44. Williamsburg 7.09
45. Bamberg 6.61
46. Allendale 5.52
For more information about suicide and assistance, try:
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Suicide.org
South Carolina Access