Suicide Prevention
Approximately 2,000 U.S. adolescents die by suicide each year; approximately two million, or about one in five, attempt suicide; and almost 700,000 receive medical attention for an attempt. More than 90 percent of the adolescents who have died from suicide also suffered from an associated psychiatric disorder. More adolescent suicide fatalities are boys because they tend to use methods that are more lethal, such as firearms. However, more girls attempt suicide than boys. The factors that increase youth vulnerability are varied and often interwoven.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Colorado teens. In 2000, there were 39 suicides among Colorado teens ages 15-19, for a rate of 12.6 deaths per 100,000 teens. Even though the 2000 rate is the second lowest rate since 1990, the rate of adolescent suicides in Colorado is still well above the Healthy People 2000 target of 8.2 per 100,000 and certainly above the Healthy People 2010 goal of 5.0 per 100,000. No Colorado county is close (within 20 percent) to meeting the 2010 goal.
Background Documents
Evidence-Based Programs
Recommended Strategies
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