TABLE 1—

Death Certificate Descriptives: Suicides With Opioid Poisoning as a Contributing Cause of Death, United States, 1999–2014

Variable	Suicides With Opioid Poisoning as Contributor to Death, 1999–2014 (n = 20 917), No. (%)
Underlying cause of death
Poisoning, total	20 359 (97.3)
Narcotics and hallucinogens	8 629 (41.3)
Other specified drugsa	127 (0.6)
Other and unspecified drugs	11 439 (54.7)
Chemicals and noxious substancesb	165 (0.8)
Strangulation or suffocation	257 (1.2)
Firearm	116 (0.5)
Otherc	159 (0.8)
Autopsy report present
Yes	13 719 (65.6)
No	3 286 (15.7)
Unknownd	3 912 (18.7)
Place of death
Medical facility	3 430 (16.4)
Decedent’s home	14 027 (67.1)
Hospice,e nursing home, or long-term care facility	90 (0.4)
Other or unknownf	3 370 (16.1)

^aIncludes nonopioid analgesics, antipyretics, and antirheumatics (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code X60), antiepileptics, sedatives, hypnotics, and anti-Parkinson drugs (X61), and other drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system (X63).

^bIncludes alcohol, solvents, gases, vapors, pesticides, and other unspecified chemicals.

^cIncludes drowning or submersion, explosive material, smoke, fire and flames, self-harm with a sharp object, jumping from a high place, jumping or lying before a moving object, crashing a motor vehicle, and other means.

^dAutopsy report status was unknown for all deaths for the years 1999 through 2002.

^eHospice was available as an option only for 2003 or later.

^fUnknown was available as an option only for 1999 through 2002.