Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one's own life. There is an alarming increase in the number of children and adolescents committing suicide. The rate of teenage males committing suicide has more than doubled in the past 20 years.
Women purposely injure themselves three to four times more often than men.
However, men kill themselves three to four times more often than women. The group with the highest risk for suicide is elderly white males. An elderly person attempting suicide is much more likely to be successful than a younger person. Often a person considering suicide feels a sense of complete hopelessness, helplessness, grief, and loss. Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness may also stem from having a terminal or chronic illness accompanied by physical pain, financial strain, or episodes of depression.