Here are some facts about suicide
Please read them all!
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students.
• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among all those 15-24 years old.
• Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among all those 10-14 years old.
• The suicide rate for white males (15-24) has tripled since 1950 while for white females (15-24) it
has more than doubled.
• The suicide rate for all children (10-14) has more than doubled over the last 15 years.
• The suicide rate for young black males (15-24) has risen by 2/3 in only the past 15 years.
• Adolescent males commit suicide more than adolescent females by a ratio of 5:1.
Characteristics of Youth at Risk for Suicide
• Mental Illness- 90% of adolescent suicide victims have at least one diagnosable, active psychiatric
illness at the time of death--most often depression, substance abuse, and conduct disorders. Only
33- 50% of suicide victims were identified by their doctors as having a mental illness at the time of
their death, and only 15% were in treatment at the time of death.
• Previous Attempts- 26-33% of adolescent suicide victims have made a previous suicide attempt.
• Firearms- Having a firearm in the home greatly increases the risk of youth suicide. 64% of suicide
victims 10-24 years old use a firearm to complete the act.
• Stressors- Suicide in youth often occurs after the victim has gotten into some sort of trouble or has
experienced recent disappointment and rejection.
Preventing Youth Suicide
• Prevention should include social policy that limits access to firearms, alcohol, and illicit substances,
as well as responsible portrayal and coverage of suicide in the media.
• Another necessary component of prevention is the identification of potentially suicidal adolescents.
Once potentially suicidal individuals have been identified, emphasis should be placed on seeking
professional help, which should include intensive treatment of any underlying mental illness
TEEN BEHAVIOR TO WATCH FOR
Caitlin Rother
15-Mar-1998 Sunday
For parents who hear about Richie Newman's suicide and worry about their
own teen-agers, here are some behavioral changes that mental health
professionals say may be warning signs:
Are they going to bed later and sleeping later, or waking up abnormally
early each morning?
Have they cut off ties with friends?
Are they spending more time alone?
Are they paying less attention to personal hygiene?
Do they cry more often?
Do you sense anything is wrong from looking at their artwork or writing
from school?
If you see signs that cause you concern, these are the steps they suggest
taking:
Intrude. Ask questions. Try to talk to your teen-ager. Sometimes this
raises the awareness of your teen and he or she will tell you what's going
on.
If you're still worried, you can call a social worker, a psychologist or
a psychiatrist for help.
If you're not ready to do that, you can call your family doctor, a
relative or a good friend, a teacher or a minister whom your child trusts.
If a teen is actively talking about suicide, immediately take him or her
to the emergency room.
If a teen refuses to go to the hospital and seems serious about the
threats, call the police.
Police will take the teen to the county emergency screening and assessment
unit in Chula Vista, where a team of mental health professionals will
decide the appropriate place to send the teen.
Or, if you have health insurance, a teen can be transferred to an
appropriate program from any emergency room.
In either case, the child may be placed under a "72-hour hold" and he or
she will be monitored, evaluated and given any necessary medications for
that period of time.
WHERE TO CALL TO GET HELP
For teens or anyone else who wants to talk about suicidal feelings, or for
parents who are concerned about their teens, here are two telephone numbers
to call:
The county's crisis information and intervention hotline, staffed 24
hours a day: (800) 479-3339.
The Child and Adolescent Emergency Screening and New Alternatives
program: (619) 421-6900.
copyright Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
WITHOUT HELP, TRAGIC RESULTS
Caitlin Rother
STAFF WRITER
15-Mar-1998 Sunday
When a young person commits suicide, some see it as the most tragic of
human losses.
But it is the people left behind who bear the pain.
"It's a scar that never heals for the survivors," said Dr. Saul Levine,
chairman of psychiatry at Children's Hospital & Medical Center and
professor of psychiatry at UCSD Medical School.
Teen suicide can be prevented. Counseling and treatment with medications
can do wonders, experts say.
But when teens don't seek treatment and their parents are not aware of the
underlying problems, tragedy can result.
In 1996, 20 teens ages 15 to 19 committed suicide in San Diego County. Of
those, all but three were male.
Statewide, suicide was the third leading cause of death for that age group.
Of 179 suicides, 146 were by young males.
The more bizarre the method, Levine said, the more severe that person's
mental disturbance tends to be.
Self-immolation, the grisly and public method chosen by 19-year-old Richie
Newman, typically stems from depression, psychosis or extraordinarily
impulsive anger, Levine said.
This painful and self-destructive act is most often chosen by political or
anti-war protesters.
Levine never met Richie. But after hearing about what Richie did the
evening of Jan. 19, about the contents of his suicide note, his artwork and
song lyrics, Levine theorized about what led to his actions.
"This is a boy who was depressed. ... It's certainly possible that he had
schizophrenia. It's possible that he had a bipolar disorder," Levine said.
"This kid was in extraordinary pain and his (suicide) note is a testament
to that."
If Richie had sought treatment, taken some anti-depressants and gotten some
therapy, Levine said, he might not have taken his own life.
Copyright Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
