All data for suicide deaths based on official final figures either appearing in or calculated based on figures appearing in the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) publication below, received directly from NCHS Mortality Branch personnel, or posted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's NCHS website. These figures are derived from death records collected at local and state levels provided to NCHS for national compilations.

• 2005 sources: Kung, H.-S., Hoyert, D.L., Xu, J., & Murphy, S.L. (2008, January). Deaths: Final Data for 2005. National Vital Statistics Reports, 56(10). http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_10.pdf obtained 16 January 2008. Other data available at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2008) [cited 2008 January 24].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars
• 2004 source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2006) [cited 2006 December 12].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars
• 2003 source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2006) [cited 2006 February 12].  Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars
• 2002 source: Kochanek K.D., Murphy S.L., Anderson R.N., & Scott C. (2004). Deaths: Final data for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports, 53(5). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2005-1120.
• 2001 source: Arias, E., Anderson, R.N., Kung, H.C., Murphy, S.L., & Kochanek, K.D. (2003). Deaths: Final data for 2001. National Vital Statistics Reports, 52(3). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2003-1120. [Data to be published in the CD-ROM annual volume entitled Vital Statistics of the United States, Mortality, 2001.] [Some data from: Anderson, R.N., & Smith, B.L. (2003). Deaths: Leading causes for 2001. National Vital Statistics Reports, 52(9). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.]
• 2000 source: Minino, A.M., Arias, E., Kochanek, K.D., Murphy, S.L., & Smith, B.L. (2002). Deaths: Final data for 2000. National Vital Statistics Reports, 50(15). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2002-1120. [Data to be published in the CD-ROM annual volume entitled Vital Statistics of the United States, Mortality, 2000.] [Some data from: Anderson, R.N. (2002). Deaths: Leading causes for 2000. National Vital Statistics Reports, 50(16). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.]
• 1999 source: Hoyert, D.L., Arias, E., Smith, B.L., Murphy, S.L., & Kochanek, K.D. (2001). Deaths: Final data for 1999. National Vital Statistics Report, 49 (8). DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2001-1120 [Some data from: Anderson, R.N. (2001). Deaths: Leading causes for 1999. National Vital Statistics Report, 49(11). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.]
• 1998 source: Murphy, S.L. (2000). Deaths: Final data for 1998. National Vital Statistics Report, 48 (11). DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2000-1120
• 1997 source: Hoyert, D.L., Kochanek, K.D., & Murphy, S.L. (1999). Deaths: Final data for 1997. National Vital Statistics Report, 47 (19). DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 99-1120
• 1996 source: Peters, K.D., Kochanek, K.D., & Murphy, S.L. (1998). Deaths: Final data for 1996. National Vital Statistics Report, 47 (9). DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 99-1120
• 1995 source: Anderson, R.N., Kochanek, K.D., & Murphy, S.L. (1997). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1995. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 45 (11, Suppl. 2). DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 97-1120
• 1994 source: National Center for Health Statistics. (1996). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1994. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 45 (3, Suppl.).
• 1993 source: National Center for Health Statistics. (1996). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1993. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 44 (7, Suppl.). [Data published in the 1993 annual volume of Vital Statistics of the United States.]
• 1992 source: National Center for Health Statistics. (1994). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1992. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 43 (6, Suppl.). [Data published in the 1992 annual volume of Vital Statistics of the United States.]
• 1991 source: National Center for Health Statistics. (1993). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1991. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 42 (2, Suppl.). [Data published in the 1991 annual volume of Vital Statistics of the United States.]
• 1990 source: National Center for Health Statistics. (1993). Advance report of final mortality statistics, 1990. NCHS Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 41 (7, Suppl.). [Data published in the 1990 annual volume of Vital Statistics of the United States.]

Note: Some caution is warranted in comparing causes of death from other years to those for 1999-2005. The classification system employed (the International Classification of Diseases - ICD) was revised beginning with 1999 deaths (ICD-10). This affected some causes more than others; suicide was affected minimally by these changes. For a brief discussion of this issue, particularly related to the ranking of causes of death, see this document.

5/17/08 last updated - JLM- Prepared by John L. McIntosh, Ph.D.