Statistics On Suicide

From: ctw@delphi.com
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 96

Until boys and girls are 9 their suicide rates are identical
from 10 to 14, the boys' rate is twice as high as the girls'
from 15 to 19, four times as high
from 20 to 24, six times as high

Source; U. S. Bureau of Health and Human Services

More Suicide

From: praymo@aol.com
Date: 6 Feb 1996

Between 93 and 95 percent of suicides are suffering a psychiatric illness, most commonly depression, substance abuse associated with depression, or schizophrenia.

There is not a lot of [evidence] yet, but it appears that only 7 to 10 percent of attempters die by suicide. It appears that attempters and completers are two distinct groups that overlap.

One difference between the two groups is that the completers have a higher rate of substance abuse. Alcohol plus other substances like marijuana or coke increases the risk by ten times.

It has been shown that depressives' risk is thirty to ninety times higher than the general population, times ten with double abuse.

Seven to 10 percent of those who attempt suicide end up killing themselves, and 60 to 70 percent of those who talk about it to relatives or friends do it within six months.

Jan Fawcett, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago says women are more likely to attempt suicide, but men are more likely to complete suicides. Men also tend to use more violent means, like gunshot wounds right to the head.

Their suicides are more aggressive. Women are more likely to take an overdose and then that can be salvaged. . .And they tend to do this earlier in the treatment, whereas men would wait till [sic] the very end, until they feel like there's no hope and no way out.

Barbara Parry, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego, says the highest suicide rate for both genders is in the 80-84 year age group (five to six times more prevalent than among teens).

In all age groups, the attempt rate is twice as high for females as males; the completion rate is higher for males in all age groups, ranging from twice to six times that exhibited by females (as the above poster reported).

It is postulated that this is due to the method of choice among males (firearms, used in 60% of all cases; 79% of firearm suicides are committed by white males. Twice as many women as men attempt suicide, but the most frequently employed method is pill ingestion.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health Report

According to the NIMH, most prevalent factors for teen suicide:

Family history of suicide
Family history of mental or substance abuse
Family violence, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Separation or divorce
Prior suicide attempt
Firearm in the home
Incarceration
Exposure to suicidal behavior of others

from various sources.