Are You Suicidal?

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Suicide rate for teens, young adults increases
Alex Lawson
Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: News

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study that reported that suicides among children and young adults are on the upswing.

The study reviewed the suicide trends of 2004, a year that saw 4,599 children and young adults from age 10-24 take their own lives.

In that year suicide was the third leading cause of death in that age group.

Dr. Keri Lubell led the study and she stressed the importance of people recognizing warning signs of suicide.

"It is important for parents, health care professionals and educators to recognize the warning signs of suicide in youth," Lubell said.

A major reason for this sudden change is thought to be anti-depressant drugs. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2003 that the use of anti-depressant drugs could incite suicidal thoughts in the minds of children or teenagers.

Dan Reidenberg, executive director with Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, is very passionate about preventing this increasing trend.

"It's extremely important, not just for those of us working in the field, but for parents and community members to understand that we have a leading cause of death in this country that is completely preventable," Reidenberg said.

Dr. Chris Milo of Rose Hill psychiatric clinic in Holly, Michigan, stressed the importance of recognizing warning signs.

"Anything out of the ordinary, alterations in character and such," Milo said.

Milo also said you could talk to anyone about the concerns you have about someone close to you.

"As long as you tell someone. Preferably someone who knows or can get a hold of professional help," Milo said.

While anti-depressants are a main suspect in the reason for the spike in suicide rates, Reidenberg is not willing to jump to any conclusions.

"There's no doubt it's too early for us to tell specifically what caused this," Reidenberg said.

Reidenberg also noted that the pressures of college life can trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviors, as college age people fall into the middle of this study's focus.

"The concern about college age students is that they're away from home for the first time," Reidenberg said. "They have fewer resources and support systems to help them."

Another disturbing trend the study uncovered was the method that the method of suicide is shifting from guns to hanging. In 1990, guns were responsible for more than half of suicides in females, but in 2004, hanging was the most prevalent of all causes. The gruesome nature of suicide creates a sort of stigma around the whole subject that Reidenberg and his organization is bound to break down.

"People are scared of the word suicide. They don't want to talk about it. I literally have had funders and corporations say to me 'If the word suicide is in your organization, we won't fund you," Reidenberg said. "People think suicide is somehow some different kind of death. It's a different kind of grief, I will give you that, but death is death," Reidenberg added