The numbers:
Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24, resulting in approximately 4,500 lives lost each year.
In a nationwide survey of public and private schools, grades 9–12, an alarming number of young people reported:
- seriously considering suicide (15%) • creating a plan (11%)
- trying to take their own life in the past 12 months (7%)
Each year, approximately 149,000 people between the ages of 10 and 24 receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries at emergency departments across the United States.
Suicide and gender:
- Young men are more likely to die from suicide than young women.
- Of the reported suicides in the 10 to 24 age group, 83% of the deaths were young men. However, young women are more likely to report attempting suicide than young men.
Suicide and race:
- According to Delaware Kids Count, multiracial teens have considered, planned and attempted suicide more than twice as frequently as teens of any other racial group.
- Multiracial teens were treated by a doctor or nurse for injuring themselves by means of injury, poisoning or overdose nearly three times more often than teens of any other racial group.
Suicide and sexual orientation:
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) teens are at a higher risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts than heterosexual teens, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
- LBGTQ teens in grades 9–12 were found to be about twice as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual teens.
There are no generalizations:
- There is no typical suicide victim.
- There are no absolute reasons for suicide.
- Suicide is always multidimensional.
- Preventing suicide must involve many approaches and requires teamwork.
- Most suicidal people do not want to die; they just want to end their pain.
- Ambivalence almost always exists until the moment of death.
- There are shared characteristics:
- A suicidal person sees suicide as the “solution” to his or her problems. Efforts to discuss alternative solutions are very worthwhile.
- A suicidal person is in crisis. Suicidal people are experiencing severe psychological distress. They need help in handling the crisis.
- Almost all suicidal people are ambivalent — they wish to live and they wish to die. We must support the side that wants to live and acknowledge the part that wants to die. Talking about these mixed feelings lowers anxiety. Listening and caring may save a life.
- Suicidal thinking is frequently irrational. Depression, anxiety, psychosis, drugs or alcohol often distorts the thought process of people when they are feeling suicidal.
- Suicidal behavior is an attempt to communicate. It is a desperate reaction to overwhelming circumstances. We need to pay attention!
What are risk factors?
Risk factors are stressful events, situations or conditions that exist in a person’s life that may increase the likelihood of suicide. There is no predictive list of a particular set of risk factors that spells imminent danger of suicide. It is important to understand that risk factors do not cause suicide.
Strong risk factors include:
- One or more prior suicide attempts
- Suicidal threats
- Homicidal ideation
- Exposure to suicidal behavior or the actual suicide of a family member or close friend
- Detailed plan for an attempt (how, where, when)
- Depression, mood disorder, or anxiety or psychosis lasting over two weeks
- Alcohol or other drug use and abuse
- Isolation, alienation from family members, friends
- Serious family fights and conflicts
- Outrageous, abusive or unpredictable behavior from parents
- Conduct disorder
- Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, extreme unhappiness
- Multiple losses
What are warning signs?
Warning signs are the changes in a person’s behaviors, feelings and beliefs about him or herself that indicate risk. Many signs are very similar to the signs of depression. Usually these signs last for a period of two weeks or longer, but some young people behave impulsively and may choose suicide as a solution to their problems very quickly.
Early warning signs include:
- Feeling sad, angry• Eating and sleeping disturbances
- Restlessness, agitation, anxiety
- Feeling like a failure; self-criticism
- Pessimism
- Difficulty concentrating
- Preoccupation with death
Late warning signs include:
- Actual talk of suicide, death
- Dropping out of usual activities
- Isolation from family and peers
- Refusing help; feeling “beyond help”
- Making a last will and testament
- Giving away favorite possessions
- Offering verbal clues about the wish to die
- Displaying sudden improvement after a period of being very sad and withdrawn — this may mean that a decision has been made to escape all problems by ending life
- Difficulties in school
What are protective factors?
Protective factors are the positive conditions and personal and social resources that promote resiliency and reduce the potential for youth suicide as well as other high-risk behaviors.
Protective factors include:
- Close family bonds
- Strong sense of self-worth
- Sense of personal control
- Good impulse control
- Reasonably stable environment
- Responsibilities/duties to others
- Best friends
- Opportunities to participate in projects/activities
- Lack of access to lethal means
- Pets
Download fact sheets
For more information about suicide statistics nationwide and in Delaware, download the following pdfs.
- United States Suicide Prevention Fact Sheet sprc_national_data.pdf
- Delaware Suicide Prevention Fact Sheet de_datasheet.pdf
References:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS): Visit the website
2. Delaware Kids Count: Visit the website (Sections 50–51)
3. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Download the .pdf file