United States suicide rates between 2008 and 2009 amounted to one death every 15 minutes, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The first-of-its-kind, state-by-state report also showed that approximately eight million people nationwide contemplate taking their own lives each year.

“For suicide attempts, the range goes from 1 in 1000 adults in Delaware and Georgia (0.1 percent) to 1 in 67 in Rhode Island (1.5 percent),” according to a CDC statement.

One percent of American adults admitted making suicide plans last year, while “serious suicidal thoughts, suicide planning, and suicide attempts was significantly higher among young adults aged 18-29 years than it was among adults aged 30 years or older.”

The study also found that “adults in the Midwest and West were more likely to have thoughts of suicide than those in the Northeast and South. Adults in the Midwest were more likely to have made suicide plans than those in the South, and suicide attempts did not vary by region.”

Further, the report found that the “prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts was significantly higher among females than it was among males.”

“Suicide is a tragedy for individuals, families, and communities,” CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a statement. “This report highlights that we have opportunities to intervene before someone dies by suicide.”

He later added, “Most people are uncomfortable talking about suicide, but this is not a problem to shroud in secrecy.”