A new study shows that the worrying trend of suicides among middle-aged white men and women really is a cause of concern, because it identifies a new high-risk group for suicide, but the reasons behind this phenomenon are unknown. As suicide is a multidimensional and complex problem, it cannot be attributed to a single source. The report signals a need for more effective prevention methods for people in their middle-years and call for more study to identify the causes of the suicides.

The number of suicides for white women age 40 to 64 rose 3.9 percent annually between 1999 and 2005 and the suicide rate for white, middle-aged men climbed 2,7 percent yearly during the same interval, Susan Baker, MPH, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and her colleagues reported in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Suicide rates remained the same in Asians and Native Americans, and declined in blacks.

Overall, the suicide rates have increased between 1999 to 2005 by 0.7 percent annually. The reason for the increase is unknown. This phenomenon usually appears during an economic crisis and may be determined by the increase in unemployment and the decrease in housing affordability. “This is a concern, especially when one looks at the high rates during the Great Depression,” says Baker.

Researchers analyzed data from the National Center for Health Statistics on suicide trends from 1999 to 2005.

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for people 10 to 64 years old, the study’s authors said.

Risk factors such as a previous suicide attempt, mental or physical illness or a family history of mental illness, family history of suicide, stress, having a gun in the home, seeing images of suicides on the Internet, can influence someone’s decision to commit suicide.