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Youth Suicide Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Why do some teenagers commit
suicide?
2. What are the most common warning
signs?
3. How many people know about
the warning signs and how to detect
if a teen is going to commit suicide?
4. Are there particular youth
who are more at-risk of suicide?
5. Are the suicide rates different
for males and females?
6. If someone suspects that a
friend or family member is considering suicide, what should they
do?
7. What does "means restriction" or "means reduction" refer to?
8. How many teenagers die by
suicide in America each year? In Washington?
9. Why has the suicide rate
been increasing in the past few decades?
10. Why are some state’s
teenage suicide rates much higher than others?
11. What are common myths about
teen suicide?
12. How can schools and communities
work together to prevent suicide?
13. What is a family's reaction
when a teen family member completes suicide?
14. Is it okay for a school
to plant a tree or dedicate a bench in memory of a youth who has
died by suicide?
1. Why do some teenagers
commit suicide?
We don’t know for sure, because when youth die by suicide
they take the answers with them. But teens who attempt suicide and
survive tell us that they wanted to die to end the pain of living.
They are often experiencing a number of stressors and feel that
they do not have the strength or desire to continue living. We also
believe that the majority of youth who die by suicide have a mental
disorder, like depression, which is often undiagnosed, untreated
or both.
Learn more about risk and protective factors
related to suicide
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2. What are the most common
warning signs?
Some estimate as many as 80% of those thinking about suicide want
others to be aware of their emotional pain and stop them from dying.
A warning sign does not automatically mean a person is going to
attempt suicide, but it should be taken seriously. The warning signs
that we pay particular attention to are: a prior suicide attempt,
talking about suicide and making a plan, giving away prized possessions,
preoccupation with death, signs of depression, hopelessness and
anxiety, increased drug and alcohol use.
Learn more about warning
signs and what you can do to help
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3. How many people know
about the warning signs and how to detect if a teen is going to
commit suicide?
Not enough, but more are learning everyday. YSPP works to teach
professionals, parents, educators, clergy and especially young people.
We believe that middle & high school students and college students
can and should learn the warning signs and intervention strategies
to help their friends. We don’t expect them to conduct a professional
assessment but we want them to befriend a person in despair and
offer support and reassurance and referral to help.
Learn
more about YSPP school-based programs
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4. Are there particular
youth who are more at-risk of suicide?
Some reports suggest that gay and lesbian youth are two to three
times more likely to complete suicide than other youth. Alcohol
and substance abuse also place a youth at higher risk for suicide.
Learn more about high-risk groups
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5. Are the suicide rates
different for males and females?
In Washington and across the country, males are much more likely
to die by suicide, while girls are more likely to make suicide attempts
that result in hospitalization. Hanging and use of a firearm are
the most frequently used methods for youth suicide. Cutting and
overdose are the most frequency used methods for suicide attempts
that result in hospitalization.
Learn more about youth suicide statistics
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6. If someone suspects
that a friend or family member is considering suicide, what should
they do?
There are three very important things to do if you notice the warning
signs for suicide or the young person tells you directly that they
are thinking about suicide. The first thing is to always show the
person that you are concerned about them – listen without
judgment, ask about their feelings and avoid trying to come up with
a solution to their problem. Next ask directly about suicide –
be direct without being confrontational; say “are you feeling
so bad that you are thinking about suicide?” Finally, if the
answer to your question is “yes” or you think it is
yes, go get help – call a crisis line, visit the school counselor,
tell a parent or refer the teen to someone with professional skills
to provide help. Never keep talk of suicide a secret!
Learn more about what you
can do to help
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7. What does "means restriction" or "means reduction" refer to?
Means restriction or means reduction refers to limiting access to the most deadly methods of dying by suicide. This could include:
- Removing guns from the homes of youth at-risk of suicide or storing guns locked and unloaded with the ammunition locked separately;
- Erecting barriers on bridges or other jump spots to prevent youth at-risk of suicide from jumping; and
- Dispensing fewer sleeping pills or other potentially-lethal medications to youth at-risk of suicide.
Learn more about means restriction or means reduction
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8. How many teenagers
die by suicide in America each year? In Washington?
In 2001 in the US, 4,250 young people between the ages of 10 and
24 died by suicide. This is an average of one suicide roughly every
two hours! The national rate of suicide (per 100,000) is 9.9.
In Washington State during the same year there were 90 suicides,
and a rate of 7.0. On a recent survey in Washington middle and high
schools, 1 out of 10 students indicated that they had made a suicide
attempt in the past 12 months. 1 out of 5 indicated that they had
seriously thought about it.
Learn more about youth
suicide statistics
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9. Why has the suicide
rate been increasing in the past few decades?
Suicide rates in Washington and across the USA have actually gone
down since 1990. When the Youth Suicide Prevention Program began
in 1995 the number of suicides and the rate were both higher than
they are now. There was a significant increase in the late 70’s
and early 80’s but the trend lately has been downward. It
may seem that there is an increase because you are reading and hearing
more about suicide. Media reports hopefully are educating about
the warning signs and the resources for help.
Learn more
about how media reports can affect suicide
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10 . Why are some state’s
teenage suicide rates much higher than others?
Youth suicide rates are highest in Alaska and the Rocky Mountain
states. If you map the youth suicide rates by state, there is a
striking difference between the eastern half of the USA and mountain
regions in the west. We don’t know for sure why these rates
are higher, but some theories include the largely rural territory,
the vast land allocations to Native American reservations, poverty
and a lack of easy access to resources.
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11. What are common myths
about teen suicide?
Some believe if you ask directly about suicide that you “plant”
an idea in the brain of a teenager; this is just not true. Others
think that teens who talk about suicide are not really serious about
dying – they think they are just seeking attention.
Learn more about teen
suicide myths
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12. How can schools
and communities work together to prevent suicide?
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that local mental health
agencies, crisis centers, clergy, health departments, medical organizations,
injury prevention agencies, schools and other community members
should work together to develop goals and strategies to prevent
suicide.
Learn more about communities
taking action
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13. What is a family's
reaction when a teen family member completes
suicide?
Most feel a combination of emotions: anger, sadness, guilt, shame
and fear. They wonder what they could have done and why they didn’t
do more. Suicide is different from other kinds of sudden death because
the reason for the death is difficult to understand. With a car
accident there is an external explanation or cause – an icy
road, loss of vehicle control, etc. With a homicide, the grief-stricken
can point to a perpetrator. With suicide, we don’t have an
external cause, and so we ask ourselves over and over: 'why?'
Learn more about
grief and bereavement at the Dougy Center website
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14. Is it okay for
a school to plant a tree or dedicate a bench in memory of a youth
who has died by suicide?
These types of memorials can keep the death 'alive' and serve as
a grim reminder of the loss. Because of the real concern about contagion
there is a delicate balance between commemorating the life of the
deceased and glamorizing a suicide.
Learn more about postvention (after a
suicide)
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