(Newser)
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Suicide in America has increased so dramatically that it now claims more lives than car crashes, and is the top cause of injury-related deaths, according to a new study. Car crash deaths decreased 25% while suicides climbed 15% during a nine-year period examined by researchers. "Suicides are terribly under counted. I think the problem is much worse than official data would lead us to believe," says study author Ian Rockett, an epidemiology professor at West Virginia University. He believes as many as 20% of suicides may be hidden, and that many "accidental" deaths, such as drug overdoses, may actually be suicides, he tells Press TV.
Death by unintentional poisoning, which includes drug overdoses, is the third most common cause of injury-related deaths. It increased 136% from 2000-2010. Falls and homicide are the fourth and fifth causes of injury-related deaths, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Overall, injury-related deaths were far less common among females than males, according to the study, which was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
