The Issue:

Every day, on average, more than 80 Americans take their own lives, and an estimated 1,500 more attempt suicide. (1) Although rates for teens and young adults appear to be declining, deaths from suicide in these age groups are still more frequent than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. Americans 65 years and older have higher rates of suicide than any other age group, with the highest rate of suicide occurring among white men over the age of 85.

The Facts:

• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. population. In 2000, 28,332 Americans died from suicide, a rate of 10 deaths for every 100,000 people.

• In 1, the most recent year for which homicide data are available, there were nearly twice as many suicide deaths (29,199) as homicides (16,899).

• Suicide rates in adolescents peaked in the early 1990s, but rates may be decreasing for most groups of teens. Suicide is still the third-leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults, and in 1997 accounted for 12 percent of deaths in those aged 10-24.

• Young people age 12-17 who reported alcohol or drug use were more likely to be at risk for suicide, and only 36 percent of young people at risk received treatment or counseling.

• African American, Hispanic and white teens are less likely to attempt suicide if they feel a connection to their parents and family. For girls, emotional well-being also helps. For boys, a high grade point average is related to lower suicide risk.

• Rates of suicide among African American adults tend to be lower than in the general population and rates for African American women are low across the lifespan. Rates are highest in white men over the age of 85.

• Among young people, American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents have the highest rates of suicide. A nationwide survey of high school students in 1999 also found that Hispanic students were more likely than non-Hispanic black or white students to report a suicide attempt.

• Youth surveys indicate an increased risk of suicidal behavior and thoughts, but not completion, in students who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, (3) and a higher risk of actual attempts in boys who report same-sex attractions.

• In 1, 242 children age 10-14 committed suicide, a rate of 1.2 deaths for every 100,000 people.

• The most common method of suicide for both men and women is by firearms, accounting for 57 percent of all suicides in 1999.

• More than 90 percent of completed suicides occur in individuals with depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.

• People with a parent, sibling, aunt, uncle or grandparent who attempted or died from suicide are at increased risk for suicide and attempts.

Suicide reporting in the media can contribute to suicide contagion: Newspaper and television reports of suicide have been linked to increases in suicide rates. The degree to which rates increase is a function of the amount, duration and prominence of media coverage of suicide.

Interview:

Growing Pains:
Adolescent Suicide Rates Raise Concerns

Madelyn S. Gould, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a professor of psychiatry and public health/epidemiology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Gould's work has included projects examining risk factors for teenage suicide, various aspects of cluster suicides, the impact of the media on suicide, the effect of suicide on fellow students, and the evaluation of suicide prevention programs, such as telephone crisis services for teenagers.

Q. Rates of suicide among adolescents and young adults have been the source of tremendous concern. These rates tripled between 1952 and 1995. (19) What is happening with teen suicide rates now?

A. Although rates of suicide and suicide attempts among teens and young adults remain distressingly high, the good news is that suicide rates for some adolescents appear to have gone down in the past few years. For example, suicide rates for African American males increased rapidly between 1986 and 1994 but had decreased significantly by 1997. Rates for white males also have fallen since a peak in the early 1990s. Rates for girls, which are much lower than rates for boys, did not show the same types of increases and have stayed fairly constant over the past 20 years.