Women in health care support jobs have third highest suicide rate

Health care support personnel had the third highest female suicide rate by occupation in 2015 at 11 per 100,000, a 31 percent increase from 2012, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The category includes home health and personal care aides; nursing assistants, orderlies and psychiatric aides; and occupational therapy and physical therapist assistants and aides, among other jobs. Women in the arts, entertainment, sports and media and men in construction and extraction had the highest suicide rates by occupation. “Increasing suicide rates in the U.S. are a concerning trend that represent a tragedy for families and communities and impact the American workforce,” said Deb Houry, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “Knowing who is at greater risk for suicide can help save lives through focused prevention efforts.”