• Each day more than 1,000 American teenagers attempt suicide. 18 of them die.
  
• 95% of all youth suicide is preventable.
  
• Suicide is the number two killer of young people between the ages of 15 - 24. Accidents are number one. Some researchers think that many of these accidents are really suicides that looked like accidents.¹
  
• The fastest-growing age group of completed suicides is 10 - 14 year-olds.
  
• More 15 - 24 year-olds die from suicide than cancer, AIDS, heart disease, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined.¹
  
• One in five youths has suicidal thoughts. One in ten has attempted suicide.²
  
• Suicide is the fastest-growing killer of youth in America today.¹
  
• For every completed youth suicide there are at least 20 attempts. More are unreported.²
  
• There are more suicides than homicides (about a 2:1 ratio).
  
• Young men are four times more likely to complete suicide, while females are at a greater risk for attempts.
  
• The number one risk factor that increases the chance of a completed suicide is the access to firearms.
  
  Common Sense About Kids and Guns: California Information
  County of San Diego Statistics

¹ Centers for Disease Control
² Washington State Department of Health

Myth: Suicidal people are full intent on dying. Nothing others do or say can help.
Fact:  Suicide is preventable. Most suicidal people desperately want to live; they are just unable to see alternatives to their          problems.

Myth: Suicide happens without warning.
Fact:  There are almost always warning signs, but others are often unaware of the significance of the warning signs or unsure          what to do.

Myth: People who talk about suicide do not commit suicide.
Fact:  Most people who commit suicide have talked about or given definite warning signs of their suicidal intentions.

Myth: Improvement in a suicidal person means the danger is over.
Fact:  Many suicides occur several months after the beginning of improvement, when a person has enough energy to act on          suicidal thoughts.

Myth: Suicide is more common in lower socioeconomic groups.
Fact:  Suicide cuts across social and economic boundaries.

Myth: All suicidal individuals are depressed.
Fact:  Depression is often associated with suicidal feelings, but not all people who attempt or commit suicide are depressed. A          number of other emotional factors may be involved.

Myth: Asking, "Are you thinking about committing suicide?" may trigger a person to make a suicide attempt.
Fact:  Asking direct, caring questions about suicide will often minimize a person's anxiety and act as a deterrent to suicidal          behavior.

Sometimes teens feels so depressed or overwhelmed that they consider ending their own lives. Remember, however, that all teens are at risk! One in five has suicidal thoughts. One in ten will make a suicide attempt.

• Suicide threats, direct and indirect
  
• Obsession with death
  
• Poems, essays, and drawings that refer to death
  
• Dramatic change in personality or appearance
  
• Irrational, bizarre behavior
  
• Overwhelming sense of guilt, shame, or rejection
  
• Changed eating or sleeping patterns
  
• Severe drop in school performance
  
• Giving away belongings
  
• Chronic pain
  
• Previous suicide attempts

Pay attention to talk about suicide. Ask direct questions and don't be afraid of frank discussion. Silence is deadly.

Do not take it all on yourself. Do not take responsibility for making your loved one well. You are not a therapist. Do not agree to keep your loved one's confidence - it's not betrayal, it's help. Think of how you would feel if you kept this secret and lost this friend or family member.

Be supportive. Let him/her know that you care and they should not feel ashamed of their condition; it is not their fault. Stand by this person through the recovery period - treatment will be successful in time.

Depressed Youth: Depression can cloud an individual's thinking, making it more difficult to evaluate life stressors and to think of alternative solutions to problems.

Angry, Acting-Out Youth: Typically, these youth tend to have fewer successes in life, and have ineffective coping skills. Anger management problems and qualities such as impulsive behavior, and acting before considering possible consequences are common.

Ethnic Minorities: Some Native American tribes have youth suicide rates higher than the national average. Asian and Pacific Islander females also have higher suicide rates.

Youth Alcohol/Drug Use: At least one-third of youth who complete suicide are under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs. Alcohol and other drug use can impair a youth's ability to think clearly and reduces inhibitions that might otherwise keep a youth from committing suicide. Depressed or impulsive youth who are also involved with alcohol and/or other drugs are at very high risk.

Gay and Lesbian Youth: Adolescents struggling with sexual orientation issues often find themselves rejected by family and peers. Compared to other youth, the incidence of suicide attempts amoung gay and lesbian youth is higher.

Gifted Youth: These youth often feel enormous pressure to be perfect at all times and believe they are loved and admired not for themselves, but for the accolades they receive and special abilities they have.

Learning-Disabled Youth: Difficulty learning can lead to low self-esteem and depression. These youth face special and often difficult challenges in the classroom and the extra stress to complete their work could cause feelings of sadness strong enough to cause suicidal thoughts.

Unexpected Pregnancy: Girls may feel their lives are out of control and that choosing to die is the only real choice they have.