It is estimated that approximately 6,000 adolescents will take their lives annually . . . During the past 25 years the teenage rate has tripled. One report indicates that nearly 12 percent of all school children will experience serious suicidal ideation at least once. The fact that many children are finding suicide to be the logical choice underscores the impact that the pressures of life, even at such an early age, can have. They live in a world of isolation, rejection, and the perception that no one cares.
Depression is a key factor in most suicides.
Circumstances can often be the precipitating factor in suicide. What one person can deal with, another might find overwhelming. This can encompass any number of things, such as divorce, the loss of a job, or financial distress. In one sad incident, the inability to deal with the death of a friend resulted in the suicide of a well-known professional football player. The young man lost control of his car while driving late one evening in Texas.