CDC Finds Increase in Teen Suicide

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CDC Finds Increase in Teen Suicide

Special Report - September 11, 2007
Following over a decade of steady decline, the number of teen suicides rose by eight percent between 2003 and 2004, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The latest numbers constitute the largest annual jump in suicides among 10- to 24-year-olds in the last 15 years. The increase was particularly significant among females aged 10 to 14 years (75.9 percent), followed by females aged 15 to 19 years (32.3 percent) and males aged 15 to 19 years (9.0 percent). A total of 4,599 teens and young adults committed suicide in 2004, making it the third leading cause of death after automobile accidents and homicides.

The report also monitored which suicide methods were most frequently employed by teens. In 1990, both males and females were most likely to use firearms, but death by hanging/suffocation was the most prevalent method among females in 2004. The 10- to 14-year-old female demographic was particularly hard hit, with the number of suicides attributable to hanging/suffocation increasing by 119.4 percent. Firearms remained the most common method of suicide for male teens and young men.

While not specifically examining reasons for the spike in suicide rates, CDC researchers said the results of the study show “the potential mutability of youth suicidal behavior” and emphasized the importance of learning more about suicide risk factors and prevention methods. Since mortality data is only available through 2004, the authors also cautioned that it is unclear whether the suicide jump represents “changes in trends or single-year anomalies.”

Richard Lieberman, the suicide prevention program coordinator for Los Angeles public schools, told the Associated Press that one cause of the rise in suicide could be increasing rates of depression during the teen years. “There’s a lot of pressure in and around middle school kids,” Lieberman said. “They’re kind of all transition kids. They’re turbulent times to begin with. The hotline’s been ringing off the hook with middle school kids experimenting with a wide variety of self-injurious behavior, exploring different ways to hurt themselves.”