Teens- Too distressed to Live?
“Following a decline of more than 28 percent, the suicide rate for 10- to-24-year-olds increased by 8 percent, the largest single-year rise in 15 years, according to a report just released in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).”
– ScienceDaily (Sep. 8, 2007)
The reported increase began in the middle of 2003 and 2004. Specialists are not sure if this is a short-term occurrence or the beginning of the age where teens can no longer succumb to the distress caused by their own personal issues or their own environment.
According to CDC, particular age ranges and gender had a dramatic annual increase. These are the age group and gender of the highest teen suicide rate:
– For 10- to-14-year-old females, the rate increased from 0.54 per 100,000 in 2003 to 0.95 per 100,000 in 2004
– For 15-to-19 year-old females the rate increased from 2.66 to 3.52 per 100,000
– For 15-to-19 year-old males, the rate increased from 11.61 to 12.65 per 100,000
CDC can not really determine the reason for this sudden increase they were able to acquire a record of the method they used though:
1990- boys and girls commonly used firearms
2004- 71.4% of 10-14 year-old girls who committed suicide used hanging or suffocation. During the period of 2003-2004, there was 119% increase in 10-14 year old girls who hang/suffocated themselves. Boys’ most common method is still firearms.
CDC now aims to gather more information on suicide occurrences (failed/successful) and place them in a centralized system to be able to determine the underlying cause of these attempts. Through this system they wish to be able to succeed in finding ways in helping to prevent teens in committing suicide.
