Another troubling area is suicides among ages 15 to 24. Both national and local rates for young people are three times higher now than they were in the 1950s. Firestone said that while talking to a local high school class recently, seven students said they had friends who either attempted suicide or talked about doing it. But while the risk of suicide may be higher in certain groups, no one is immune to it. It can happen in any family and in any situation.
Victims have one thing in common, though.
They are often plagued by feelings of self-hatred, she said, and the belief that they are a burden to their loved ones. The good news is that people contemplating suicide almost always exhibit telltale signs, and by learning to recognize those signs, we might be able to save lives. Some common red flags are radical mood changes, problems with concentration, sleeping or eating too much or too little and giving up on things that used to matter to them. If the music they're drawn to is about suicide, we'd better pay attention to that. If you're concerned that someone you know might be contemplating suicide, let them vent their feelings and listen to what they say.