happy + healthy
teen suicide
SUICIDE
A Growing Risk For Teens
By Allison Faircloth
From the moment I met Frances Holk-Jones, I could see the
sorrow and passion she had from losing her daughter, Jennifer
Claire Moore, who was a mere 16 years old, to suicide. After
working with the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation for the past
several years, I also had the opportunity to speak to Jennifer's
brother Grayson, who shared with me what it was like to not
only be the first one to see his sister after she took her own life,
but how it affected him as a teen. Grayson, who was fourteen
at the time, had to cope with the loss of his sister, and then his
father three years later.
Understanding the Increase
The rise in the rate of youth suicide is due to a combination of
many things. An increase in non-traditional family structures
and advances in technology mean today’s teens are facing issues
that no previous generation has ever seen. While some issues are
not exactly new, electronic media has changed or amplified some
of the struggles young people face today. Our youth are exposed
to on-screen violence, drugs, alcohol, social pressures, academic
pressures, and traumatic events like being bullied, or physical
and sexual abuse.
Surprising Statistics
U.S. Suicide Rates by Gender & Youth Ages
• Y
outh suicide in the United States has surged to the highest
level in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with
increases in every age group except older adults.
• I n Alabama, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for
ages 10-14 and the third-leading cause of death for ages 15-24.
The number one cause was "undeterminable" according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• I t is thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every
completed teen suicide.
Rate % per 100,000 population
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Male
Age 10-14
Female
Age 10-14
1999
40 |
Winter 2017
www.potentialmagazine.com
Male
Age 15-24
2014
Female
Age 15-24