Fallacy of attributing the U.S. firearm mortality epidemic to mental health.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Annual global data on mental disorders prevalence and firearm death rates for 2000-2019, enables the U.S. to be compared with comparable counties for these metrics.

Methods

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Health Burden data were used to compare the prevalence of mental disorders with overall, homicide and suicide firearm death rates including homicides and suicides, in high sociodemographic (SDI) countries.

Results

Overall and in none of the nine major categories of mental disorders did the U.S. have a statistically-significant higher rate than any of 40 other high SDI countries during 2019, the last year of available data. During the same year, the U.S. had a statistically-significant higher rate of all deaths, homicides, and

SUBMITTER: Bleyer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11299823 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature