Just a couple of notes, in memory of my brother John:
"In high-risk patients—that is patients who have threatened or attempted suicide—there are four risk factors that account for more than 80% of the risk for suicide: major depression, bipolar disorder, a lack of previous mental health treatment, and the availability of firearms in the home. If these four problems were solved, most suicides would be prevented."
Source: Maureen Empfield, M.D. and Nicholas Bakalar
Snippets:
Persons under 25 account for 15% of all suicides.
Between 1952 and 1995, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled.
Many who make suicide attempts never seek professional care immediately after the attempt.
Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death of all Americans, the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, behind unintentional injury and homicide.
Nearly 3 of every 5 suicides were committed with a firearm. Among persons 15-19, firearm-related suicides accounted for 62% of the increase in the overall
rate of suicide.
The risk for suicide among young people is greatest among young white males although the suicide rates increased most rapidly among young black males.
Although suicide among young children is a rare event, the dramatic increase in the rate among persons aged 10-14 underscores the urgent need for intensifying efforts to prevent suicide among persons in this age group.
More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined.
source: http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/suicideteen.html
Posted by Vicki at November 16, 2004 10:19 PM