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In 2005, violent deaths claimed the lives of 15,962
people in 16 states, according to data collected by the
National Violent Death
Reporting System. The study was included in
this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
published by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
The majority (56.1 percent) of these deaths were
suicides, followed by homicides and deaths involving
legal intervention (29.6 percent), deaths of undetermined
intent (13.3 percent), and unintentional firearm deaths
(0.7 percent).
The study also found that intimate partner violence and
relationship problems, mental health problems, and drug
and alcohol use at the time of death were common
precipitating factors. In nearly 87 percent of cases
where homicide was followed by the suicide of a suspect,
a personal crisis occurred in the two weeks prior to the
incident.
Former or current military personal accounted for 20
percent of all suicides.
Each year in the United States, about 50,000 people (137
per day) suffer a violent death. Programs to enhance
social problem-solving and coping skills, and skills for
dealing with stressful life events, may help reduce
violence, the study authors said.
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