Crisis Intervention Network: Suicide Fact Sheet


	Between 1996 and 1999, there was a decrease in suicides, in America, from 30,903 to 29,199. ^{1, 3} Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 19. ¹ Over five times as many adolescent males than females complete suicide. ¹ Females are four times as likely than males to make a non-fatal attempt at suicide. ¹ As many as 2 million teenagers make non-fatal attempts at suicide. ¹ A majority of both sexes use firearms to complete suicide (65% males and 47% females). ¹ A majority of non-fatal suicide attempts involved overdoses (80% females). ¹ For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury and homicide. In 1998, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease *combined. ² For all youths, the highest rate of recorded suicide is in the intermountain states (such as Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, and Utah).¹ Several studies have indicated that the occupations with the highest risk of suicide are police officers, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists, and dentists. Sources: ¹Crisis Intervention Handbook, 2000* Edited by Dr. Albert R. Roberts (available at Barnes&Noble) ² CDC Suicide Prevention Fact Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/suifacts.htm ³National Institute for Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/suifact.htm