Workers under 30 are more likely to consider suicide than any other age group, according to David Michel, CEO of Catapult Health. An analysis of more than 157,000 patient records by Catapult Health found that millennial workers are five times more likely to consider suicide than are boomers. The study included data from checkups conducted by Catapult in workplace settings in 44 states.
The analysis reveals that 2.3 patients per 1,000 under the age of 30 have gone as far as creating a plan for ending their lives with an intent to carry it out. That compares to .4 per 1,000 for those over 60. The average across all age groups is .86 per 1,000.
“The numbers may seem small,” said Mr. Michel, “but if your company has 5,000 employees, that means that at any given moment four of them are probably seriously considering suicide, and the number is higher if you employ more younger workers.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of deaths among millennials, behind accidents and ahead of homicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of all deaths in the U.S., claiming 47,000 people annually.
The analysis also found that workers under 30 are significantly more likely to suffer from depression than their older counterparts. Depression affected 4.8% of millennials tracked in the data, compared to 1.7% of the boomers.
“It is imperative that employers help their employees recognize depression and provide the resources to overcome it,” Michel concluded.
Data in the analysis are taken from profiles Catapult Health captures of employees working at companies nationwide. The profiles include both physical and mental health indicators and provide insight into the current well-being of American workers. For a copy of the report or for more information about Catapult Health, access www.CatapultHealth.com.
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