Awareness Saves Lives Research shows that both exposure to suicidal behavior of others and exposure of accounts of suicidal behavior in the media were associated with a lower risk of nearly lethal suicide attempts.
Children and Suicide
Because it’s unthinkable that a child could intentionally take her or his own life, there’s a false sense that our youngest citizens are somehow immune from the risk of suicidal behaviors. The truth is the number of children under the age of 12 committing suicide has doubled in the past 30 years. Our children are in crisis and helping them is literally a matter of life and death.
The Ugly Truth: Our Kids Are Killing Themselves
In the United States
Suicide is the third leading cause of death of young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
5,000 young people commit suicide in the U.S. each year.
Each year, there are approximately 10 youth suicides for every 100,000 youth.
Each day, there are approximately 12 youth suicides.
Every 2 hours and 11 minutes, a person under the age of 25 commits suicide.
In the past 60 years, the suicide rate has quadrupled for males 15 to 24 years old, and has doubled for females of the same age.
For every completed suicide by youth, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made.
Firearms remain the most commonly used suicide method among youth, accounting for 49% of all completed suicides.
The following music video
features the song "Hold On" by the American rock band Good
Charlotte. It was written in response to people who had written to the band saying they were considering suicide. The video features suicide survivors talking about their experiences, either through losing a loved one or remembering a time they were suicidal.
In Texas
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year olds.
Almost as many teens die by suicide as die from all natural causes combined.
From 1999 to 2004, a total of 13,257 suicide attempts made in the state of Texas resulted in death.
2,100 of these deaths were children and young adults from 10 to 24 years of age.
For Texas high school students within a 12-month period:
- 16% think seriously about suicide
- 9% attempt suicide
- 3% make a suicide attempt that requires medical attention
Flower Mound children need access to a special pediatric and adolescent psychiatric care clinic
You can help by urging Texas Health Resources to add such a clinic to the new Presbyterian Hospital of Flower Mound
FOR IMMEDIATE HELP CALL
2-1-1 – Local Crisis Support & Suicide Intervention
800-435-7609 – National Adolescent Suicide Hotline
