Research Exercise Youth Suicide

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Research Exercise

Youth Suicide

Young people are increasingly vulnerable to suicide. Youth suicide is a public concern, and it needs to be approached with sensitivity and insight. Although suicide is an uncomfortable topic for parents and families to discuss with their children, a lack of discussion stigmatizes young people’s thoughts of death and encourages them not to talk to family and friends when they are contemplating taking their own lives. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among other agencies, considers youth suicide a major public health concern and believes that more discussion and education need to be undertaken to provide resources and support for youth who have attempted suicide or contemplated it.

https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr-69-11-508.pdf

After reviewing the CDC’s “Suicide Prevention” pages and reading the National Vital Statistic Reports article “State Suicide Rates Among Adolescents and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2000–2018,” consider the questions below. Then submit your responses.

1 of 4

Suicide is the

leading cause of death in the United States and the

leading cause among people aged 10-34.

2 of 4

Between 2007 and 2018, the suicide death rate among young people aged 10–24 in the United States:

3 of 4

According to the National Vital Reports article, Alaska, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming has the highest suicide completion rates among young people between 2016 and 2018. Why do you think these states had such high numbers?

One possible answer is that these states have low population density so young people experiencing risk factors for suicide do not necessarily have the social support they need to prevent suicide.

4 of 4

The CDC lists several risk factors and protective factors for suicide. Choose one of the protective factors and explain which risk factors it is designed to address.

One possible answer is that the protective measure to remove or limit access to “lethal means” is meant to address the risk factor of impulsivity. If a weapon is not readily available, then the person can’t use it to harm themselves when the thought or urge occurs to them.

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