Teenage Suicide
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports the following:
For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury and homicide.
Americans under the age of 25 accounted for 35% of the population, and 15% of all suicide deaths in 1996. The rate among children aged 10-14 was 1.6/100,000, the rate for children aged 15-19 was 9.7 per 100,000, and the rate for young people aged 20-24 was 14.5/100,000.
Important risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or other drug use disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors.
Over the last several decades, the suicide rate in young people has increased dramatically. From 1952-1996, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled, although there has been a general decline in youth suicides since 1994.
The risk for suicide among young people is greatest among young white males. However, from 1980-1996, suicide rates increased most rapidly among young black males.
Males under the age of 25 are much more likely to die by suicide than their female counterparts.
It has been widely reported that gay and lesbian youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to die by suicide than other youth and that 30% of all attempted or completed youth suicides are related to issues of sexual identity. There is no empirical data on completed suicides to support such assertions, but there is growing concern about an association between suicide risk and bisexuality or homosexuality for youth, particularly males. Increased attention has been focused on the need for empirically based and culturally competent research on the topic of gay, lesbian and bisexual suicide.
In a survey of students in 151 high schools around the country, the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found that Hispanic students (10.7%) were significantly more likely than white students (6.3%) to have reported a suicide attempt. Among Hispanic students, females (14.9%) were more than twice as likely as males (7.2%) to have reported a suicide attempt. But Hispanic male students (7.2%) were significantly more likely than white male students (3.2%) to report this behavior.
Important risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or other drug use disorder, and aggressive or disruptive behaviors.
Over the last several decades, the suicide rate in young people has increased dramatically. From 1952-1996, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled, although there has been a general decline in youth suicides since 1994.
The risk for suicide among young people is greatest among young white males. However, from 1980-1996, suicide rates increased most rapidly among young black males.
Males under the age of 25 are much more likely to die by suicide than their female counterparts.
It has been widely reported that gay and lesbian youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to die by suicide than other youth and that 30% of all attempted or completed youth suicides are related to issues of sexual identity. There is no empirical data on completed suicides to support such assertions, but there is growing concern about an association between suicide risk and bisexuality or homosexuality for youth, particularly males. Increased attention has been focused on the need for empirically based and culturally competent research on the topic of gay, lesbian and bisexual suicide.
In a survey of students in 151 high schools around the country, the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found that Hispanic students (10.7%) were significantly more likely than white students (6.3%) to have reported a suicide attempt. Among Hispanic students, females (14.9%) were more than twice as likely as males (7.2%) to have reported a suicide attempt. But Hispanic male students (7.2%) were significantly more likely than white male students (3.2%) to report this behavior.