Suicide Stories

Team Esperanza: Suicide

How real is the problem of youth suicide? Here are the statistics:

• EVERY YEAR there are approximately 10 youth suicides for every 100,000 youth.

• EVERY DAY there are approximately 11 youth suicides.

• EVERY 2 HOURS AND 11 MINUTES a person under the age of 25 completes suicide.

How bad is the problem getting on a national scale:

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens.

• Suicide is second leading cause of death in colleges.

• For every suicide completion, there are between 50 and 200 attempts.

• CDC Youth Risk Survey: 8.5% of students in grades 9-12 reported a suicide attempt in the past year.

• 25% of high-school students report suicide ideation.

• The suicide attempt rate is increasing for youths ages 10-14.

• Suicide had the same risk and protective factors as other problem behaviours, such as drugs, violence, and risky sexual activities.

• While a single suicide is a tragedy, it is estimated that for every adolescent who completes suicide, there are between 50 and 200 suicide attempts.

• A recent survey of high-school students found that almost 1 in 5 had seriously considered suicide; more than 1 in 6 had made plans to attempt suicide; and more than 1 in 12 had made a suicide attempt in the past year.

• The female suicide rate in England is at its highest since 2005.

• The female suicide rate in the UK is at its highest since 2011.

• Overall and female suicide rates in Wales in 2014 were at their lowest

• since 1981. The male suicide rate is the second lowest in this time.

• Scotland and Northern Ireland show higher suicide rates for males

• and females compared to the other nations, however rates are not

• necessarily directly comparable.

• Unlike the rest of the UK, the suicide rate in Northern Ireland is

• significantly higher than it was thirty years ago. However, the latest

• year of data does show a decrease in both males and females.

• Rates in the Republic of Ireland have fluctuated more than in the UK

• in recent years, but it is currently at its lowest since 1993.