Report: Suicides rising in Bay State, but below nation

The Bay State suicide rate has skyrocketed in the last decade, outpacing homicide and car crashes as a leading killer, but it is still below the national average, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel’s report stated the suicide rate in 2014 was 40 percent higher than it was in 2004. The department’s figures show that the suicide rate has climbed about 3.1 percent every year since 2004.

There were 608 suicides in Massachusetts in 2014 — the most recent year data were available — which is more than the number of car crashes and homicides combined, the figures show.

In 2014, there were 147 homicides and 328 traffic fatalities, the report states.

Males comprise 77 percent of suicide deaths, with the rate rising 29 percent from 2004 to 2014.

Suicides are also more prevalent among older populations, between the ages of 35 and 64, the report states.

Suicide also strikes harder at those with drug and mental health problems.

The report states that 56 percent of women and 41 percent of men had either drugs or mental health issues in their background.

But Massachusetts’ suicide rate remains lower than the nationwide average.

The report states that nationally, people commit suicide at a rate of 12 per 100,000. By comparison, Bay State residents kill themselves at a rate of 9 per 100,000 in 2014.

The report states that better access to quality medical care, mental health care, and a lower number of gun owners are responsible for the Bay State’s lower average.