Suicide is Preventable: Ask, Listen & Tell. Together, there is HOPE.

Statistics

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for ages 12-22 (Suicide, n.d.; WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports, n.d.)

“In 2017, there were 47 percent more suicides among people aged 15 to 19 than in the year 2000” (Frazee & Morales, 2019).

Suicide rates for males and females have been spiking since 2014 and 2009, respectively (Frazee & Morales, 2019)

Risk Factors

Mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis
Family history of suicide and/or exposure to suicide
Family history of mental illness
Physical/sexual abuse
Losses
Aggressive behavior/impulsivity
Lack of social support/social isolation
Poor coping skills
Access to ways of harming oneself, like guns, knives, etc.
Difficulties in dealing with sexual orientation
Physical illness
Family disruptions (divorce or problems with the law)
Traumatic event (Suicide in Teens and Children Symptoms & Causes: Boston Children’s Hospital, n.d.)

Preoccupation with death (e.g.,recurring themes of death or self-destruction in artwork or written assignments
Intense sadness and/or hopelessness
Not caring about activities that used to matter
Social withdrawal from family, friends, sports, social activities
Substance abuse
Sleep disturbance (either not sleeping or staying awake all night)
Giving away possessions
Risky behavior
Lack of energy
Inability to think clearly/concentration problems
Declining school performance/increase absences from school
Increased irritability
Changes in appetite (Suicide in Teens and Children Symptoms & Causes: Boston Children’s Hospital, n.d.)

Common reasons for suicide are emotional pain, hopelessness, and wanting the pain to go away (Home, 2020). You can help by:

Asking: “I’m wondering if you have had thoughts of killing yourself, hurting yourself, dying, or falling asleep and not waking up?”
Talking with your child or friend and let them know you care
Being observant of behavior/mood changes
Spending time with your child or friend by playing a game, reading, listening to music, or creating art
Monitoring your child’s intake of news, social media, TV, newspapers, and other media or conversations that can increase stress by communicating about disasters or traumatic current events
Obtaining extra support from local mental health professionals and the school counselor for your child or friend (Violence Prevention, 2018)

As a reminder, you never have to suffer alone. There are resources available for you.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 1-800-715-4225

GMHCN Warm Line: 888-945-1414

CARES: 844-326-5400, Call or Text 8:30AM-11:00PM for Substance Use Crisis Text Line: 741-741

Georgia HOPE

American Foundation for Suicide Preventions: https://afsp.org/

Suicide Prevention Resource Center: https://www.sprc.org/populations

References:

Preventing Suicide. (2019, September 5). Retrieved April 1, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/fastfact.html
State Fact Sheets. (2019, October 11). Retrieved April 3, 2020, from https://afsp.org/about-suicide/state-fact-sheets/#Georgia
Suicide Prevention. (2019, July). Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml
Suicide Statistics. (2019, April 16). Retrieved April 3, 2020, from https://afsp.org/about-suicide/ suicide-statistics/