Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between
the ages of 10 and 24, and results in approximately 4,600 lives lost
each year.

Of the reported suicides in the 10 to 24 age group, 81% of the
deaths were males and 19% were females. Girls, however, are 
more likely to report attempting suicide than boys. 

Native American/Alaskan Native youth have the highest rates
of suicide-related fatalities. A nationwide survey high school 
students in the U.S. found Hispanic youth were more likely to 
report attempting suicide than their black and white, 
non-Hispanic peers.  Teen or teenage youth are at risk.

Several factors can put a young person at risk for suicide; 
however, having risk factors does not always mean that a young person will attempt suicide. Risk factors include: family history of suicide; history of depression, other mental health problems, 
or incarceration; easy access to lethal means; alcohol and drug
use; exposure to previous suicidal behavior by others; and residential mobility that might lessen opportunities for 
developing healthy social connections and supports. 

The very good news is that we know how to do away with
this preventable and tragic loss of life. The first step is to change and expand the way we talk about suicide. We know that more than half of all people who die by suicide visit their primary care doctor within a month of their deaths. 

For the most part, however, a discussion of suicide is not part
of the average examination. Nor is depression, which is the psychiatric diagnosis most commonly associated with suicide 
and is projected to be the second leading component of the 
global disease burden by 2020. We must start asking about 
suicide (i.e., screening) like we monitor for blood pressure. 
If not, we will not find the people who are suffering in silence.  Teenage suicide is no joke.

But we still have a long way to go. One of the biggest problems
is that most people who need treatment do not get it — 
50% to 75% of those in need receive inadequate treatment or
no treatment at all. 

This is partly due to stigma and access-to-care barriers, but, 
in the end, few avert the problem of under-treatment: Nearly 
80% of college students who die by suicide receive no consistent treatment prior to their deaths. 

Suicide can be prevented — which sets it apart from other sources
of pain and suffering in the world. We need to get to a place where everybody, everywhere asks the questions that help identify at-risk individuals and get them the help that they need. Together, we can prevent these unnecessary tragedies.



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