Youth suicide

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Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. Youth suicide attempts are more common among girls, but adolescent males are the ones who usually carry out suicide.^[1] Suicide rates in youths have nearly tripled between the 1960s and 1980s.^[2] For example, in Australia suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as its leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 25.^[3]

In the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health, the suicide rate is the 2nd leading cause of death for adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, and the third leading cause of death for those between 15 and 19.^[4] In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of ChiId and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children's Hospital Association released a joint statement announcing a mental health crisis among our youth.^[5] Emergency room visits for mental health issues have dramatically increased, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

Mental health education in schools equips students with the knowledge and skills to recognize signs of distress and seek help. Community support programs offer safe spaces for adolescents to express their emotions and receive peer and professional support. Increased access to mental health resources, including hotlines and counseling services, ensures timely intervention and support for at-risk youths. These initiatives aim to address the underlying factors contributing to youth suicide and promote mental well-being among adolescents.