Suicide prevention month is coming to a close but it is just the beginning of a long conversation that needs to happen from the second highest cause of teen deaths.
Among young people the world over, suicide now is the second leading cause of death of young adults ages 10 to 24.
According to an article from Apex Tribune, the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention says that prevention of teen suicide has become a priority of the ‘highest order’.
The AFSP notes that suicide rates are higher than most people think. Every 12.5 minutes, someone commits suicide, leading to around 40,000 people who end their own life yearly.
Although these rates are bad enough as it is, according to field experts this rate is expected to rise and the rates have already passed the annual death toll from car related accidents, such as car crashes.
This is one of the many reasons that September is known as “Suicide Prevention Awareness Month”. The same field experts try to use this time of year to “help promote resources and awareness around the issues of suicide prevention, how you can help others, and how to talk about suicide without increasing the risk of harm”.
One of the main contributing factors that would lead a person to contemplate such a drastic action is the presence of a psychological disorder, depression or anxiety being the most common.
Studies have shown that around 95% of young adults who attempt suicide are struggling with one of these psychological disorders.
The statistics go on, showing that “Sixteen percent (16%) of all high school students have considered committing suicide at one point or another, 13 percent (13%) of these students have created a plan for their attempt, and 8 percent (8%) of them actually followed their plan within a year.”
Daniel J. Brown
Daniel J. Brown (Editor-in-Chief) is a recently retired data analyst who gets a kick out of reading and writing the news. He enjoys good music, great food, and sports, with a slant towards Southern college football, basketball and professional baseball.