An estimated 50,000 persons die annually in the United States as a result of violence-related injuries. This report summarizes data from CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) regarding violent deaths from 16 states for 2007. Results are reported by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, marital status, location of injury, method of injury, circumstances of injury, and other selected characteristics.
For 2007, a total of 15,882 fatal incidents involving 16,319 deaths occurred in the 16 NVDRS states included in this report. The majority (56.6%) of deaths was suicides, followed by homicides and deaths involving legal intervention (i.e., deaths caused by police and other persons with legal authority to use deadly force, excluding legal executions) (28.0%), deaths of undetermined intent (14.7%), and unintentional firearm deaths (0.7%).
Suicides occurred at higher rates among males, American Indians/Alaska Natives, non-Hispanic whites, and persons aged 45--54 years. Suicides occurred most often in a house or apartment and involved the use of firearms. Suicides were precipitated primarily by mental-health, intimate-partner, or physical-health problems, or by a crisis during the preceding 2 weeks.
Homicides occurred at higher rates among males and persons aged 20--24 years; rates were highest among non-Hispanic black males. The majority of homicides involved the use of a firearm and occurred in a house or apartment or on a street/highway. Homicides were precipitated primarily by arguments and interpersonal conflicts or in conjunction with another crime.
Other manners of death and special situations or populations also are highlighted in this report.
Alcohol was a factor in approximately one third of the reported suicides, and 62% of these decedents had a BAC of >0.08 g/dL at the time of death. Alcohol and drug abuse are second only to depression and other mood disorders as the most frequent risk factors for suicidal behavior (8,12,13). However, the relation between these factors is complex. Previous research indicates that alcohol intoxication might act as an important proximal (i.e., an experience often occurs immediately prior to a suicide) risk factor for suicidal behavior (14). In cases where there is alcohol dependency, the alcohol abuse might lead directly to depression or indirectly through a sense of decline or failure that is experienced by many persons who are dependent on alcohol. Alcohol also might be a form of self-medication to alleviate depression. Both depression and alcohol abuse also might be the result of specific stresses in a person's life (15). The co-occurrence of mood disorders with substance abuse, including alcohol abuse, greatly increases the risk for suicidal behavior (16).
As with suicide decedents, alcohol was present in approximately one third of homicide decedents; more than half of these decedents (55.4%) had BACs of >0.08 g/dL. Alcohol is an important situational factor in interpersonal violence. In the case of interpersonal violence among youths, excessive alcohol consumption might increase impulsivity and make some drinkers more likely to resort to violence in a confrontation or argument (21,22). Reduced physical control and the ability to assess risks in potentially dangerous situations also can make some drinkers more vulnerable to victimization (21,22). In the case of intimate-partner violence, excessive alcohol consumption by one or both partners might exacerbate financial or child care problems or other stressors and increase tension and conflict in the relationship (23). Alcohol also can be a form of self-medication to cope with previous or current experiences of abuse (23).
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