A driver who crashes into a tree, drives off a cliff, or runs into another vehicle may have fallen asleep at the wheel, lost control of his car, or deliberately planned the accident - a coroner can't always tell. Moreover, because of the stigma of suicide, often there is strong pressure from family members to attribute a questionable death to accident rather than suicide. An average of 90 Contra Costa County residents commit suicide annually. An average of 9 Contra Costa County youth commit suicide annually. The youngest person in Contra Costa County to commit suicide that we're aware of was 6 years old.
More people die from suicide than from homicide.
One person dies by suicide every 17 minutes. One elderly person dies by suicide every 1 hour and 28 minutes. One youth dies by suicide every 1 hour and 46 minutes. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. People living in households where firearms are kept are five times more likely to die by suicide than people living in gun-free homes.