Five Facts on Mental Health & Gun Violence
The Big Insight: Rates of depression and anxiety are growing exponentially across the U.S. and more than half of gun-related deaths in this country are suicides.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law on June 25, includes new gun safety measures and funding for a range of mental health services.
Here are five facts on mental health and gun violence.
1. Each day, 111 Americans die of gun-related injuries. Of those deaths, 65 are suicides.
Twenty years ago, there were 15,045 gun-related suicides in the U.S. In 2020, there were 24,292. A suicide attempt with a firearm results in death nearly 85% of the time, compared to a success rate of less than three percent through other common methods. According to RAND, a review of 154 psychological autopsy studies found that “90 percent of those who died by suicide had a mental health disorder.”
2. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that nearly 20% of high school students have had “serious thoughts” of suicide, and nine percent have made an attempt.
The COVID pandemic exacerbated the issue. Suicide rates increased among teenagers by as much as 50% during the pandemic, following a 57% increase during the period from 2007-2018. Depression among adults reached 32.8% in 2021, up from just 8.5% before the pandemic began.
3. In 2018, just 43% of Americans with some form of mental illness received mental health services.
RAND data show that among those with serious mental illness, defined as a “diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, other than a developmental or substance use disorder, that substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities,” just 64% received mental health services. About 14 million Americans have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness.
4. Penn Medicine/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia research shows that “a proximity to violence and multiple exposures increase the risk of pediatric mental health distress.”
The study found that nearly one in three mental health-related juvenile emergency room visits during the weeks after a neighborhood shooting were linked to the event. Those living with mental illness are also more likely to be the victims of domestic violence — 23 times more likely, according to Angela Kimball of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
5. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes nearly $2 billion in mental health funding.
The new funding includes $500 million through the School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program for school-based mental health service providers, $250 million for comprehensive community mental health services, $150 million for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, $120 million to prepare and train community members and first responders on how to respond to individuals with mental disorders.
No Labels is an organization of Democrats, Republicans, and independents working to bring American leaders together to solve problems.
