U.S. has the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations

The U.S. has the highest suicide rates among wealthy nations, according to a new report that looked at how health and care in the U.S. stacks up globally. In 2016, the suicide rate here was 13.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people — while the U.K. had the lowest rate of the 11 high-income countries in the report, at 7.3 suicides per 100,000 people.

At the same time, another new report highlights steps that federal policymakers can take to improve mental health in the U.S., including incentivizing mental health assessments as another vital sign clinicians should check. The government also ought to implement strategies for mitigating mental health problems and suicides among LGBTQ youth, the report said.