President Biden's time in office has been disastrous for Americans and the number of suicides reached an all time high in 2022 amid economic distress and collapsing quality of life.

According to data released on Thursday, a record 49,500 people took their own lives last year. The new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that suicides are at the highest point since World War II.

There are many factors to consider when trying to account for these shocking numbers.

Christina Wilbur, a woman from Florida who lost her son to suicide last year said, “There’s something wrong. The number should not be going up."

No reason to live

More than ever, many Americans find no reason to live and are taking their own lives.

Many different arguments are being presented for why the suicide rate is so high. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention argues that the availability of firearms is driving the rise in suicides while others blame a lack of mental health services.

Firearms are an attractive target because suicides involving firearms are the most likely to end in death.

By contrast, other methods aren't nearly as effective and often leave opportunities for emergency medical personnel to save lives.

This has been the worst year for suicides since 2018 when the number topped out at 48,300 suicide death.

The number then declined through 2019-2020 before bouncing back in 2021, which some attribute to the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on American society.

The economic and lifestyle changes that came with the pandemic and the accompanying lock down was too much for many to cope with and in the end, suicide was one of the deadliest killers during the pandemic years.

How to move forward

By the numbers, white males are at the greatest risk of suicide. White suicides rose by 2.1% from 36,681 to 37,459 and the male suicide rate was up 2.3% from 38,358 deaths in 2021 to 39,255 deaths in 2022.

That means that men made up nearly 80% of all suicide victims in 2022 which at least provides an area for policymakers to focus on.

The key to preventing suicide isn't reducing gun ownership, which is simply a method for troubled individuals to take their lives. Substantial efforts to improve quality of life for all Americans are needed to make real gains in reversing this horrible trend.