Family members, friends, teammates, neighbors, and sometimes even those who didn't know the person well are united by feelings of grief, confusion, guilt - and the sense that if only they had done something differently, the suicide could have been prevented. The reasons behind a teen's suicide or attempted suicide are often complex. Read this article to learn about risk factors and warning signs and how to cope with such a devastating loss. Unfortunately, teen suicide is not a rare event. Suicide rates are on the rise for younger adolescents as well, with dramatic increases noted in this age group from 1980 to 1996.
Suicide attempts are even more prevalent, though it is difficult to track the exact rates.
These reasons might include greater access to lethal weapons such as firearms and greater access to drugs and alcohol . Gender differences affect the means teens use to commit suicide. Girls, who are about twice as likely to attempt suicide as boys, tend to overdose on drugs or cut themselves. Boys, who complete suicide more often than girls, use firearms, hanging, or jumping more frequently. Because they tend to choose more sudden, lethal methods, boys are three or four times more likely to succeed in their attempts than girls.