ѕυιcιdє rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm.

More people now die of ѕυιcιdє than in car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the findings in Friday’s issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 ѕυιcιdєs.

ѕυιcιdє has typically been viewed as a problem of teenagers and the elderly, and the surge in ѕυιcιdє rates among middle-aged Americans is surprising.

From 1999 to 2010, the ѕυιcιdє rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent, to 17.6 deaths per 100,000 people, up from 13.7. Although ѕυιcιdє rates are growing among both middle-aged men and women, far more men take their own lives. The ѕυιcιdє rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000.

The most pronounced increases were seen among men in their 50s, a group in which ѕυιcιdє rates jumped by nearly 50 percent, to about 30 per 100,000. For women, the largest increase was seen in those ages 60 to 64, among whom rates increased by nearly 60 percent, to 7.0 per 100,000.

ѕυιcιdє rates can be difficult to interpret because of variations in the way local officials report causes of death. But C.D.C. and academic researchers said they were confident that the data docuмented an actual increase in deaths by ѕυιcιdє and not a statistical anomaly. While reporting of ѕυιcιdєs is not always consistent around the country, the current numbers are, if anything, too low.

“It’s vastly underreported,” said Julie Phillips, an associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University who has published research on rising ѕυιcιdє rates. “We know we’re not counting all ѕυιcιdєs.”

The reasons for ѕυιcιdє are often complex, and officials and researchers acknowledge that no one can explain with certainty what is behind the rise. But C.D.C. officials cited a number of possible explanations, including that as adolescents people in this generation also posted higher rates of ѕυιcιdє compared with other cohorts.

“It is the baby boomer group where we see the highest rates of ѕυιcιdє,” said the C.D.C.’s deputy director, Ileana Arias. “There may be something about that group, and how they think about life issues and their life choices that may make a difference.”

The rise in ѕυιcιdєs may also stem from the economic downturn over the past decade. Historically, ѕυιcιdє rates rise during times of financial stress and economic setbacks. “The increase does coincide with a decrease in financial standing for a lot of families over the same time period,” Dr. Arias said.

Another factor may be the widespread availability of opioid drugs like OxyContin and oxycodone, which can be particularly deadly in large doses.

Although most ѕυιcιdєs are still committed using firearms, officials said there was a marked increase in poisoning deaths, which include intentional overdoses of prescription drugs, and hangings. Poisoning deaths were up 24 percent over all during the 10-year period and hangings were up 81 percent.

Dr. Arias noted that the higher ѕυιcιdє rates might be due to a series of life and financial circuмstances that are unique to the baby boomer generation. Men and women in that age group are often coping with the stress of caring for aging parents while still providing financial and emotional support to adult children.

“Their lives are configured a little differently than it has been in the past for that age group,” Dr. Arias said. “It may not be that they are more sensitive or that they have a predisposition to ѕυιcιdє, but that they may be dealing with more.”

Preliminary research at Rutgers suggests that the risk for ѕυιcιdє is unlikely to abate for future generations. Changes in marriage, social isolation and family roles mean many of the pressures faced by baby boomers will continue in the next generation, Dr. Phillips said.

“The boomers had great expectations for what their life might look like, but I think perhaps it hasn’t panned out that way,” she said. “All these conditions the boomers are facing, future cohorts are going to be facing many of these conditions as well.”

Nancy Berliner, a Boston historian, lost her 58-year-old husband to ѕυιcιdє nearly two years ago. She said that while the reasons for his ѕυιcιdє were complex, she would like to see more attention paid to prevention and support for family members who lose someone to ѕυιcιdє.

“One ѕυιcιdє can inspire other people, unfortunately, to view ѕυιcιdє as an option,” Ms. Berliner said. “It’s important that society becomes more comfortable with discussing it. Then the people left behind will not have this stigma.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/health/ѕυιcιdє-rate-rises-sharply-in-us.html?_r=0