Facts About Suicide
Youth Suicide
As stark as the words sound, this phenomenon reflects a silent epidemic too frequently ignored except by those who have been devastated by it. Youth suicide is a critical but under-reported and under-treated public health crisis. Read More...
Consider these alarming statistics:
- Suicide accounts for 13% of all adolescent deaths and ranks third as an overall cause of death in adolescents.
- Suicide among children 10–14 increased by 100% from 1980–1996.
- An estimated 3,500 adolescents attempt suicide daily; 35 of them die.
- An average of one youth, under the age of 25, dies by suicide every 2 hours.
- More teenagers die by suicide than die from cancer, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined.
- Between 1980 and 1995, the suicide rate among African American youth, ages 10–14, increased 233%. The suicide rate for comparable whites increased 120%.
- 90% of teenagers who die by suicide have a mental health problem, usually depression, substance abuse, or both.
As chilling as these statistics are, they do not begin to compare to the grief, anguish, confusion, guilt and devastation felt by the family and friends of an adolescent who dies by suicide. After a suicide crisis, friends and family are at an increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorders.
While disparities in the health status of people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds remains a major problem for all youth, undiagnosed and untreated mental health problems, particularly depression and substance abuse, play a significant role in the prevalence of youth suicidal behavior. It is likely that suicide is significantly under-reported and that statistics can underestimate the true extent of the problem. Deaths classified as homicides or accidents, for example, where teenagers may have deliberately put themselves in harm’s way, are not included in rates.
Myths and Facts About Suicide
The following information seeks to falsify myths by substituting evidence-based statements designed through research findings for sensationalized conjecture designed through fear and misunderstanding. In doing so, this chart hopefully will enhance confidence and willingness to address suicide prevention in an appropriate manner. Read More...
Myth: Adolescent suicide is a decreasing problem in the United States.
Evidence Based Fact: While the suicide rate for the general population has remained relatively stable since the 1950s, the suicide rate for adolescents has more than tripled (1). Presently, the suicide rate for 15–19 year olds stands at 11 per 100,000 (2). From 1980 to 1992, the suicide rate for 15–19 year olds and 10–14 year olds increased 28% and 120%.
Myth: Most teenagers will not reveal that they are suicidal or have emotional problems for which they would like emotional help.
Evidence Based Fact: Most teens will reveal that they are suicidal. Although studies have shown that they are more willing to discuss suicidal thoughts with a peer than a school staff member , this disposition that most teens have towards expressing suicidal ideations could be used for screening adolescents through questionnaires and/or interviews.
Myth: African-American teens do not commit suicide.
Evidence Based Fact: African-Americans do commit suicide and the numbers of suicides reported for this group has increased at an alarming rate. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports a 114% increase in suicides among black males aged 10–19 from 1980 to 1995, a rate higher than that of any other group. Among black males aged 10–14 during the same period, the suicide increase was 233%, compared with 120% for white males in the same age group. For black males aged 15–19, the suicide rate rose 146%, compared with 22% for white males.
Myth: Adolescents who talk about suicide do not attempt or commit suicide.
Evidence Based Fact: One of the most ominous warning signs of adolescent suicide is talking repeatedly about one’s own death . Adolescents who make threats of suicide should be taken seriously and provided the help that they need.
Myth: Educating teens about suicide leads to increased suicide attempts, since it provides them with ideas and methods about killing themselves.
Evidence Based Facts: When issues concerning suicide are taught in a sensitive educational context they do not lead to, or cause, further suicidal behaviors. Since three-fourths (77%) of teenage students state that if they were contemplating suicide they would first turn to a friend for help, peer assistance programs have been implemented throughout the nation .These educational programs help students to identify peers at risk and help them receive the help they need. Such programs have been associated with increased student knowledge about suicide warning signs and how to contact a hotline or crisis center, as well as increased likelihood to refer other students at risk to school counselors and mental health professionals. Directly asking an adolescent if he or she is thinking about suicide displays care and concern and may aid in clearly determining whether or not an adolescent is considering suicide. Research shows that when issues concerning suicide are taught in a sensitive and educational manner, students demonstrate significant gains in knowledge about the warning signs of suicide and develop more positive attitudes toward help-seeking behaviors with troubled teens.
Myth: Talking about suicide in the classroom will promote suicidal ideas and suicidal behavior.
Evidence Based Fact: Talking about suicide in the classroom provides adolescents with an avenue to talk about their feelings, thereby enabling them to be more comfortable with expressing suicidal thoughts and increasing their chances of seeking help from a friend or school staff member.
Myth: Parents are often aware of their child’s suicidal behavior.
Evidence Based Fact: Studies have shown that as much as 86% of parents were unaware of their child’s suicidal behavior. When compared to control subjects, adolescent suicide victims were found to have had significantly less frequent and less satisfying communication with their parents.
Myth: Most adolescents who attempt suicide fully intend to die.
Evidence Based Fact: Most suicidal adolescents do not want suicide to happen. Rather, they are torn between wanting to end their psychological pain through death and wanting to continue living, though only in a more hopeful environment. Such ambivalence is communicated to others through verbal statements and behavior changes in 80% of suicidal youths.
Myth: There is not a significant difference between male and female adolescents regarding suicidal behavior.
Evidence Based Fact: Adolescent females are significantly more likely than adolescent males to have thought about suicide and to have attempted suicide. More specifically, adolescent females are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than adolescent males to report experiencing suicidal ideation and 3 to 4 times more likely to attempt suicide. Adolescent males are 4 to 5.5 times more likely than adolescent females to complete a suicide attempt. While adolescent females complete one out of 25 suicide attempts, adolescent males complete one out of every three attempts.
Myth: The most common method for adolescent suicide completion is drug overdose.
Evidence Based Fact: Guns are the most frequently used method for completing suicides among adolescents. In 1994, guns accounted for 67% of all completed adolescent suicides while strangulation (via hanging), the second most frequently used method for adolescent suicide completions, accounted for 18% of all completed adolescent suicides. Having a gun in the house increases an adolescent’s risk of suicide. Regardless of whether a gun is locked up or not, its presence in the home is associated with a higher risk for adolescent suicide. This is true even after controlling for most psychiatric variables. Homes with guns are 4.8 times more likely to experience a suicide of a resident than homes without guns. In lieu of these findings, it should not be surprising that restricting access to handguns has been found to significantly decrease suicide rates among 15–24 year olds.
Myth: Because female adolescents complete suicide at a lower rate than male adolescents, their attempts should not be taken seriously.
Evidence Based Fact: One of the most powerful predictors of completed suicide is a prior suicide attempt. Adolescents who have attempted suicide are 8 times more likely than adolescents who have not attempted suicide to attempt suicide again. One-third to one-half of adolescents who kill themselves have a history of a previous suicide attempt. Therefore, all suicide attempts should be treated seriously, regardless of sex of the attempter.
Myth: Suicidal behavior is inherited.
Evidence Based Fact: There is no specific suicide gene that has ever been identified in determining or contributing to the expression of suicide.
Myth: Adolescent suicide occurs only among poor adolescents.
Evidence Based Fact: Adolescent suicide occurs in all socioeconomic groups. Socioeconomic variables have not been found to be reliable predictors of adolescent suicidal behavior. Instead of assessing adolescents’ socioeconomic backgrounds, school professionals should assess their social and emotional characteristics (i.e., affect, mood, social involvement, etc.) to determine if they are at increased risk.
Myth: The only one who can help a suicidal adolescent is a counselor or a mental health professional.
Evidence Based Fact: Most adolescents who are contemplating suicide are not presently seeing a mental health professional. Rather, most are likely to approach a family member, peer, or school professional for help. Displaying concern and care as well as ensuring that the adolescent is referred to a mental health professional are ways paraprofessionals can help.
Louisiana Suicide Fact Sheet (pdf)