But the pain of those who have lost a child by suicide is often the most profound. Tragically, suicide among teens and young adults in this country is increasing. The suicide rate has tripled between 1950 and 1980. For African-American boys, the rate has increased 150 percent since 1980. Overall, surveys reveal that 4 percent to 8 percent of high school students say they have attempted suicide in the past year.
Gender is also a factor.
Girls in middle school, junior high, high school and college make three times as many attempts as do boys. But boys more often complete the act. The prototype is an older teen male who dies of a gunshot wound. With college students, the rate of suicidal ideation is one out of 10 or 11, according to a Centers for Disease Control survey. And that number is higher among non-college students, says King.