After a significant improvement in 1995, down to a rate of 10.0, the youth suicide rate increased slightly in 1996 to 10.2. The 15-19 year old rate rose sharply in the 1970 s and 1980 s, but has leveled off in recent years. In 1996, the suicide rate among 15 to 19 year olds was 6.1 deaths per 100,000, an increase from last year s rate of 5.6. There were 12 suicides among persons age 15 to 19 in 1996, one more than last year. An aspect of youth suicide that has been consistent from year to year is its variation by gender and race.
Males constitute the highest number and proportion of suicides, both nationally and in Connecticut.
In 1996, there were a total of 39 suicides among Connecticut youth, aged 15-24. Thirty-one of these suicides, or 79 percent, were committed by males. The corresponding suicide rate for males, age 15 to 24, was 15.7 deaths per 100,000, more than three times the young female rate of 4.3 deaths per 100,000. The rate for males in the 20-24 age group is still higher, at 24.2 deaths per 100,000. The majority of the youth suicides, twenty-one of the 39, were committed by white males.