Teens Attempting Suicide
Following are the current figures published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as part of its Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). The stats were derived from a national school-based survey of 10,904 high school students in grades 9-12. For more information see CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance -- United States, 1995. MMWR; 45(No. SS-4), 1-86, 1996.
During the 12 months preceding the survey:
| • 24.1% of students had thought seriously about attempting
suicide . • 17.7% of students had made a specific plan to attempt suicide . • 8.7% of students had attempted suicide . • 2.8% of students had made a suicide attempt which resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that required medical attention. |
Following is the breakdown by Gender, Race, and Age:
| GENDER: • Female students (30.4%) were significantly more likely than male students (18.3%) to have thought seriously about attempting suicide. • Female students (21.3%) were significantly more likely than male students (14.4%) to have made a specific plan to attempt suicide. • Female students (11.9%) were significantly more likely than male students (5.6%) to have attempted suicide. |
| RACE: • White students (24.9%) were significantly more likely than black students (20.0%) to have thought seriously about attempting suicide. • Hispanic students (13.4%) were significantly more likely than white students (7.6%) to have attempted suicide. |
| AGE: • Students in grade 11 (26.3%) were significantly more likely than students in grade 12 (20.0%) to have thought seriously about attempting suicide. • Students in grades 9 (10.6%) and 10 (10.1%) were significantly more likely than students in grade 12 (5.6%) to have attempted suicide. • Students in grade 9 (4.1%) were significantly more likely than students in grade 12 (1.7%) to have made a suicide attempt which resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose that required medical attention. |
A Real Killer
Among all ages, suicide claims more American lives than homicide. According
to reports of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, 22,552 Americans
died of homicide in 1995 , while 31,284 died of suicide.