What We know about Teen Suicide

31,438 people died by suicide in the United States.
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States.
More people in the United States die by suicide each year than of HIV or homicide.
There are differences in genfer, ethnic background and age.

Males are four times more likely to die by suicide than females are - although females attempt suicide three times as often as males.

White Americans are more likely to die by suicide than Americans of other racial backgrounds.

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 15-24 and the second leading cause of death among those between the ages of 25-34.

Ninety percent of suicides in the United States are associated with mental illness, including alcohol and drug abuse.
Fifty percent of those who die by suicide were afflicted with major depression. The suicide rate of people with major depression is eight times that of the general population.

Most adolescent suicides occur after school hours and at home.
Although rates vary somewhat by geographic location, within a typical high school classroom, it is likely that three students (one boy and two girls) have made a suicide attempt in the past year.
The typical profile of a teenage non-fatal suicide is a female who swallows pills, while the profile of the typical completer suicide is a male who dies from a gunshot wound.
Not all teenagers will admit their intent to die by suicide. Therefore, any deliberate self-harming behaviors should be considered serious and in need of further evaluation.
Those who make more than one suicide attempt generally use their behavior as a means of coping with stress and tend to exhibit more chronic symptoms such as poor coping histories, and a family history of suicidal and substance abuse behaviors.