Boomer’s Lament

Suicides for whites ages 40 to 64 rose between 1999 to 2005.

Middle-age white men rose 16% to 26.9 per 100,000 in 2005, from 23.1 per 100,000 in 1999. For white women in that age group, the rate rose 19%. For black men ages 40 to 64, the rate rose 5% to 10.4 per 100,000 from 9.9 per 100,000, and for black women in that age group, the rate rose 14%. Researchers found little or no change in the suicide rates for three other age groups: 10 to 19, 20 to 29, and over 65.