Indicator: Youth Suicide Attempts
- Youth Suicide Attempts
- Suicide Mortality
- Suicide Ideation
Why This is Important
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Maine residents aged 15-24 and the 3rd leading cause of death for 10-14 year olds. Between 2000 and 2005, Maine teens and young adults (15 –24) died by suicide at a higher percentage of deaths, 16.1% than the national percentage of 12.4%. For every youth suicide, there are an estimated 20 suicide attempts. Although there is no typical profile of a suicidal youth, youth most at risk struggle with emotional or behavioral difficulties such as depression, conduct disorders, substance abuse, and rigid behavior patterns. Suicide attempts indicate increased risk for suicide completion, as well as other severe behavioral health problems in the population.
Where We Stand
The Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in 2007 found that about 5% of Maine youth in grades 9-12 reported making at least one suicide attempt in the previous year, which is a notable decline from previous years. The percentage who reported considering suicide dropped considerably from previous years. In 2007 the percentage of youth who made a plan for how they would kill themselves increased by 2%. Those who had medical treatment for a condition resulting from a suicide attempt remained the same in 2007. Both nationally and in Maine, twice as many females attempted suicides as did males.
However, the data from middle school students does not indicate a continuous decline; in some years the percentages are higher than among high school students. The percentage of middle school youth who reported “having ever thought about killing themselves” dropped by 13.4% between 1997 and 2007 (from 30.4% to 17.0%). The same pattern emerged for the data on “percent of middle school students who reported ever trying to kill themselves.” There was a drop between 1997 and 2007, from 13.6% to 6.0%. In 2007, the percentage of middle school students reporting having ever tried to kill themselves (6.0%) was slightly higher than the percentage of high school students reporting this behavior (5%).
Data Source and Context
This information comes from the Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), Maine Coordinated School Health Program, a joint collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. The data source is the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data from the Maine YRBS is available on-line at http://www.mainecshp.com/survey.html. National YRBS figures can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs.
*Important Note: YRBS data is gathered every two years using a questionnaire administered to a sample of students in Maine and nationally. When the Maine YRBS survey has an overall response rate of 60% or higher, the CDC statistically weights the results so that the numbers can be generalized to all public school students in the state in grades 9-12. When the overall response rate is below 60%, the CDC does not perform such statistical weighting, and the data apply only to the students who actually filled out the questionnaires. Maine’s YRBS data for 1993 and 1999 was unweighted, so information from those years cannot be compared reliably with data from 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Why Is This Important
Suicide is a preventable public health problem. Being able to identify risks and protective factors of suicide allows for implementing interventions thereby reducing the number of suicides.
Where We Stand
The majority, 51%, of self-inflicted injury deaths for the 0-19 age group are done by firearms followed by 37% by suffocation/hanging. The remaining 12% represents such causes as poisoning, motor vehicle, drowning, and other specified and unspecified. In 2006, 6.6% of the total injury deaths were self-inflicted representing the lowest it has been since 1999.
Data Source and Context
This data is compiled and reported by the Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics, Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The source of the data is the Maine vital records data files.
Why This is Important
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Maine residents aged 15-24 and the 3rd leading cause of death for 10-14 year olds. Between 2000 and 2005, Maine teens and young adults (15 –24) died by suicide at a higher percentage of deaths, 16.1% than the national percentage of 12.4%. For every youth suicide, there are an estimated 20 suicide attempts. Although there is no typical profile of a suicidal youth, youth most at risk struggle with emotional or behavioral difficulties such as depression, conduct disorders, substance abuse, and rigid behavior patterns. Suicide attempts indicate increased risk for suicide completion, as well as other severe behavioral health problems in the population.
Where We Stand
Nationwide, 14.5% of high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide in the last 12 months compared to Maine’s 11% of high school students. This 11% has been decreasing for Maine high school students since 1995. Maine students, however, have a higher percentage, 13%, who have made a suicide plan compared to the 11.3% of the nation’s high school students.
Data Source and Context
This information comes from the Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), Maine Coordinated School Health Program, a joint collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. The data source is the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data from the Maine YRBS is available on-line at http://www.mainecshp.com/survey.html. National YRBS figures can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs.