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Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
and attempted youth suicide in
Western societies The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.
and other countries are high. Youth suicide attempts are more common among girls, but adolescent males are the ones who usually carry out suicide. Suicide rates in youths have nearly tripled between the 1960s and 1980s. For example, in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as its leading cause of death for people aged 15–25, and according to the
National Institute for Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, in turn, is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the prima ...
,
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
is the third leading cause of death among teens in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.Iype, George
South India: World's suicide capital
Rediff, 2004-04-15. Retrieved 2011-10-13.


Suicide contagion

According to research conducted by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian in 2007, 39% of all youth suicides are completed by young people who have lost someone of influence / significance to them to suicide. The Commission terms this suicide contagion and makes several recommendations as to the importance of safeguarding young people and communities from suicide contagion In 2011 the
Australian Federal Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...
Standing Committee for Health and Ageing Inquiry into Youth Suicide met in a round table forum with young representatives from three organizations at the forefront of preventing youth suicide. These organizations included
Sunnykids SunnyKids is a children's charitable organization on Australia's Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The organization helps accommodate women and children escaping domestic violence and family violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse ...
, Inspire, and Boys Town. The Standing Committee has since released a discussion paper highlighting the findings of their inquiry and will seek to make final recommendations on the most effective means for reducing youth suicide.


Teens at risk

One of the problems facing teenagers at risk of suicide is getting psychiatric counselling when it is needed.
'The Globe and Mail,'' 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
One research at the beginning of 2020 shows that Compared with older adolescents, younger adolescents particularly agree that increased cyberbullying and despair are very important factors influencing suicide among adolescents. One study says, "In teenagers, depression is considered a major – if not the leading – cause of teen suicide."
Teen Suicide Causes and Issues," Retrieved 2012-04-26.
Factors and risks contributed to youth suicide are academic pressure, alcohol consumption, the loss of a valued relationship, frequent change of residency, and poor family patterns. Harassment is a leading cause of teen suicide, along with abuse. Gay teens or those unsure of their sexual identity are more likely to die by suicide, particularly if they have suffered bullying or harassment, as discussed next. The following campaigns have been started in hopes of giving teens hope and abolishing the feeling of isolation. * It Gets Better Project, It Gets BetterRick Mercer joins the It Gets Better campaign
CBC News, 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
* Born This Way
Paul V. creates a safe online haven for LGBT teens as a suicide prevention measure. ''Huffington Post,'' 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
* I Get Bullied Too
Kiwi Commons created the "I Get Bullied Too!" campaign to help amplify the voices of bullying and digital abuse victims, 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
* Stop Youth Suicide Lack of impulse control has been found to differentiate adolescent suicide attempters from a control group of adolescents with an acute illness (Slap, Vorters, Chaudhuri, & Centor, 1988). However, impulsivity does not characterize all suicide attempters, since group comparisons have found no differences between suicidal patients and psychiatric controls on a measure of cognitive impulsivity (Patsiokas, Clum, & Luscomb, 1979). Instead, impulsivity may be important in identifying high-risk subgroups.


Sexual minority youth and suicide

Youth that fall under the category of Sexual minority, sexual minorities are at an elevated risk of depression and succumbing to self-harm. Among the population of sexual minority youth, on average, 28% explain having past experiences with suicidal actions and/or thoughts.
Lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
and gay youth are the group most likely to face negative experiences, leading to a higher likelihood of the development of suicidal thoughts according to mental care professionals.
Bisexuality Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...
also carries a higher likelihood of suicidality with bisexuals being five times more likely to report suicidal thoughts and actions. Sexual minority youth also report a higher incidence of substance abuse when compared to heterosexuals. Overall, studies suggest that sexual minority youth carry a higher incidence of suicide and depression, and that reforms centered on alleviating minority stigma attenuate this disparity.


Previous exposure, attempts, and age impacting youth suicide

Exposure to suicide, previous attempts of suicide, and age are some of the most influential factors of young individuals and their probability of dying by suicide. Adolescent exposure to suicide through classmates has caused researchers to hypothesize suicide as a contagion. They note how a child's exposure to suicide predicts suicide ideation and attempts. Previous exposure to suicide through parental attempts have also been found to have a 3.5 increase in a youth's probability of having suicidal thoughts, with a 2.6 increased chance of them attempting suicide. Aggression in families and its transference can be one of the main causes of transmission of suicidal tendencies in families. Previous attempts of suicide also play a major role in a youth attempting suicide again. On average, it has been recorded that the follow-up period for suicide-attempters was 3.88 years. Evidence shows those most at risk for suicide are those who previously attempted suicide, with research showing that they can have anywhere from a 40 to over a 100 times higher chance of dying by suicide compared to the general population. Age and experience also factor in suicide. It has been found that older, more experienced populations take more time to plan, choose deadlier methods, and have greater suicidal intent. This results in them eventually committing suicide at a higher rate than their younger counterparts.


Bereavement among young people

The primary goals of suicide
postvention A postvention is an intervention conducted after a suicide, largely taking the form of support for the bereaved (family, friends, professionals and peers). Family and friends of the suicide victim may be at increased risk of suicide themselves. P ...
include assisting the survivors of suicide with the grief process, along with identifying and referring those survivors who may be at risk for negative outcomes such as depressive and
anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...
s, and suicidal behaviour. With 42% of youth suicides being suicide bereavement (or contagion) related – further research and investment must be made into supporting this group of people. A few suggestions to make sure the support is effective include making the individuals feel connected and understood.


Epidemiology

Two possible determinants to suicide attempts are lifetime sexual abuse and adult
physical violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened o ...
. Among participants aged 18–25, the
odds ratio An odds ratio (OR) is a statistic that quantifies the strength of the association between two events, A and B. The odds ratio is defined as the ratio of the odds of A in the presence of B and the odds of A in the absence of B, or equivalently (due ...
s for lifetime sexual abuse and adult physical violence are 4.27 and 3.85, respectively. In other words, those who died by suicide are 327% more likely to have experienced lifetime sexual assault. Similarly, a suicide victim is 285% more likely to have suffered physical violence as an adult. Based on a survey done on American high school students, 16% reported considering suicide and 8% reported attempting suicide sometime within the 12 months before taking the survey. Between 1980 and 1994, the suicide rates of young black males doubled. American Indians and
Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...
die by suicide at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in the United States. In
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, one-third of suicides are young people 15–29. In 2002, 154,000 suicides were recorded in India. In the United States, about 60 percent of suicides are carried out with a gun. Some Aboriginal teens and gay or lesbian teens are at high risk, depending on their community and their own self-esteem. Several campaigns have been started to give them hope and help them to feel less isolated. The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which was conducted by the CDC, found that between 2009-2018, suicide rates among adolescents aged 14-18 years increased by 61.7%. Furthermore, the CDC reported that in 2019, among American adolescents in grades 9 to12: * 18.8% of students reported seriously considering attempting suicide * 15.7% of students made a suicide plan * 8.9% of students attempted suicide


Intervention

One organization in Australia has found that young people who feel connected, supported, and understood are less likely to die by suicide. Reports on the attitudes of young people identified as at risk of suicide have been released. Such reports support the notion that connectedness, a sense of being supported and respected, is a protective factor for young people at risk of suicide. According to Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center (PSPC) for some reason kids today are experiencing more pressure. For immediate help, contact SAMHSA's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).


Issues for communities

Intervention issues for communities to address include suicide contagion, developmental understanding of suicide, development and suicide risk, and the influence of culture. Key matters in postvention responses for young people include: community context, life stage relevance of responses, identification, and referral (Postvention Co-ordination), developing a suite of services, and creating ongoing options.


Prevention

One can help prevent adolescent suicide by discouraging isolation, addressing a child's depression which is correlated with suicide, getting rid of any objects that a child could use to attempt suicide, and simply paying attention to what the child does or feels. Schools are a great place to provide more education and support for suicide prevention. Since students spend the majority of their time at school, the school can be either a haven from or a source of suicidal triggers, and students' peers can heavily influence their state of mind. The school setting is an ideal environment to educate students on suicide and have support readily available.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
provides professional information and resources on suicide prevention. Prevention resources for parents, guardians, social workers, teachers, school staff, peers:
Sibshops

Youth Mental Health First Aid
* More can be found on U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website fo
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for Youth
provides resources and information for teens and adolescents such as: *
The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number wher ...
* You Matter * StopBullying.gov * Love is Respect * Ditch the Label


Table of youth suicide rates (per 100,000)

Information taken from ''World Psychiatry'', the official journal of the
World Psychiatric Association The World Psychiatric Association is an international umbrella organisation of psychiatric societies. Objectives and goals Originally created to produce world psychiatric congresses, it has evolved to hold regional meetings, to promote profess ...
. Numbers are per 100,000.


See also

* Suicide among LGBT youth * Depression in childhood and adolescence *
List of suicides that have been attributed to bullying The following is a list of suicides attributed to bullying — both in-person and via the Internet (aka cyberbullying). For a list of people who died from suicide, regardless of reason, see List of suicides and List of suicides in the 21st ...


References


External links


Your Life Counts!
Canada
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
U.S.
The It Gets Better Project
created by Dan Savage
Reducing Youth Suicide in Queensland

Report on early intervention programs aimed at preventing youth suicide
Australia {{Suicide navbox