Convergence of Us Suicide Rates : What Does It Imply?

There has been a sharp and steady increase in suicide rates in the US since 2000. We take a novel approach to contribute to the related policy measures. We analyze the cross-sectional and time-varying convergence of suicide rates across US states. Our results show that, in general, there is convergence in suicide rates across the states. While this may imply an extraordinary hike in a few ‘previously well-performing’ states, such convergence also opens an opportunity for uniform policies to work more effectively across the nation. We also find that the convergence-coefficients vary across various geographic regions and demographic groups