Over Half of Gun Deaths Are Suicides: How Mental Health and Social Care Can Make a Difference

As someone who has lived in both the UK and the US, I’ve spent years studying gun violence in America. This issue is complex, and the solutions aren't simple. However, there's strong evidence suggesting that improving mental health services and social care could significantly lower the number of gun deaths.

Understanding the Numbers

In 2022, the US saw 48,204 gun-related deaths, with a staggering 56% (around 27,000) being suicides (Pew Research Center, 2023). Over a decade, that adds up to more than 400,000 deaths (Everytown Research & Policy, 2023). Firearms are involved in over half of all suicides, and they are much more lethal than other methods (Everytown Research & Policy, 2023). Meanwhile, 1 in 5 US adults experiences mental illness annually, but only 45% received treatment in 2020 (NAMI, 2023).

These numbers are alarming, but they also highlight an opportunity for intervention. If improved mental health and social care could reduce gun deaths by just 20%, we could save 80,000 lives over ten years.

The Link Between Mental Health and Suicide

It's crucial to debunk the myth that mental illness causes violence. In reality, only 3-5% of violent acts are linked to individuals with serious mental illness (Swanson et al., 2015). However, the connection between mental health and suicide is clear. Up to 90% of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health condition at the time of their death (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, n.d.). Better mental health care could prevent many of these deaths. Even a 25% reduction in suicide rates through improved services could save over 6,750 lives annually.

What Can Be Done?

To tackle this issue, we need a multifaceted approach:

Invest in Mental Health Services:

• Closing the treatment gap could significantly reduce suicide rates.
• Every $1 invested in mental health treatment returns $4 in improved health and productivity (WHO, 2022).

Enhance Social Care:

• A $1 increase in the minimum wage could reduce suicide rates by up to 6% (Kaufman et al., 2020).
• Unemployment correlates with a 2-3 times higher risk of suicide (WHO, 2021).

Implement Sensible Gun Safety Measures:

• Connecticut’s permit law for handgun purchases led to a 15.4% drop in firearm suicides (Kivisto and Phalen, 2018).
• Child access prevention laws are linked to an 8% reduction in youth suicide rates (Webster et al., 2004).

Support High-Risk Groups:

• Veterans face a 50% higher suicide risk than the general population (VA, 2022).
• LGBTQ+ youth are almost three times more likely to consider suicide compared to their heterosexual peers (The Trevor Project, 2023).

Looking Beyond Suicide Prevention

While improving mental health and social care is crucial for preventing suicides, it also helps address the root causes of other forms of gun violence. Many mass shootings involve individuals who experienced significant mental distress or social isolation. For instance, 93% of school shooters had faced social stressors before their attacks (National Threat Assessment Center, 2019). Better social support and mental health resources in schools could make a significant difference.

Conclusion

The conversation around gun violence in America often focuses on laws and regulations, but we shouldn't overlook the powerful impact of better mental health and social care. By addressing the underlying issues that contribute to suicide and violent behaviour, we can save thousands of lives each year. It's a challenging issue, but one that we can't afford to ignore. The cost of inaction isn't just in numbers—it's felt in the countless families and communities forever changed by these tragedies. It's time for a comprehensive approach that includes mental health, social well-being, and sensible gun safety measures to create a safer, healthier society for all Americans.

References

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (n.d.) Risk Factors and Warning Signs. Available at: https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

Everytown Research & Policy (2023) Gun Violence in America. Available at: https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (n.d.) Means Matter. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

Hsieh, C.C. and Pugh, M.D. (1993) 'Poverty, income inequality, and violent crime: a meta-analysis of recent aggregate data studies', Criminal Justice Review, 18(2), pp. 182-202.

Kaufman, J.A. et al. (2020) 'Effects of increased minimum wages by unemployment rate on suicide in the USA', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 74(3), pp. 219-224.

Kivisto, A.J. and Phalen, P.L. (2018) 'Effects of risk-based firearm seizure laws in Connecticut and Indiana on suicide rates, 1981–2015', Psychiatric Services, 69(8), pp. 855-862.

NAMI (2023) Mental Health By the Numbers. Available at: https://www.nami.org/mhstats (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

National Threat Assessment Center (2019) Protecting America's Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence. U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security.

Pew Research Center (2023) What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

Swanson, J.W. et al. (2015) 'Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to policy', Annals of epidemiology, 25(5), pp. 366-376.

The Trevor Project (2023) 2023 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. Available at: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2023/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

VA (2022) 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2022/2022-National-Veteran-Suicide-Prevention-Annual-Report-FINAL-508.pdf (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

Webster, D.W. et al. (2004) 'Association between youth-focused firearm laws and youth suicides', JAMA, 292(5), pp. 594-601.

WHO (2021) Suicide. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide (Accessed: 27 July 2024).

WHO (2022) Mental health: strengthening our response. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response (Accessed: 27 July 2024).