Teen Suicide Surgeon General David Satcher has announced a national strategy for suicide prevention. Satcher says nearly 31,000 people take their lives each year, making suicide the nation's eighth leading cause of death. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24. But parents often miss the warning signs of teen suicide because suicide is different among the young. Studies show that many suicides occur when a parent is about to find out something bad about the teenager.
Experts say part of the problem is a child's lack of control over impulsive feelings.
Kids who are momentarily angry or upset will swallow pills, point a gun to their head, or hang themselves on impulse. Teenagers who try to kill themselves don't fit in to the normal stereotype of the adult who battles long period of isolation and depression. Studies show teenagers are not as determined to commit suicide. Those who succeed are often acting on an urge that could pass in five to ten minutes. That is only minutes to long if a gun is in the house, say experts.