According to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the rate of adolescent and young adult suicides in the United States is the highest it’s been in nearly two decades. In 2017, suicide ranked as the second-leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24, with more than 6,200 suicides reported, trailing only behind motor vehicle accidents, which led to 6,697 deaths that year.
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To conduct the study, a team from Harvard Medical School pulled data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and looked at the underlying causes of deaths nationwide. Researchers said the rise in young adult suicide rates may be connected to the opioid crisis, because of the added stressors caused by addiction. Other factors, according to researchers, may include social media as well as reduced stigma for parents and coroners to report a child’s death as a suicide, instead of an accident.
The study showed there were 11.8 deaths per 100,000 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years old in 2017. In 2000, there were 8 deaths per 100,000 adolescents. For young adults aged 20 to 24 years old, the suicide rate was 17 per 100,000 in 2017, up from 12.5 per 100,000 in 2000.
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States, affecting more than 16 million Americans. It’s the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Globally, rates of depression also increased by 18% between 2005 and 2015. Many antidepressants, prescribed to help combat depression, are known to increase the risk of suicide in children, teens and young adults. While depression is not the sole cause of suicide, it is often a major factor.
While some are better than others at keeping their depression and thoughts of suicide well hidden, it’s important to be able to recognize warning signs and know what you can do to help. According to the CDC, warning signs to look for include: feeling like a burden, being isolated, feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, increased substance abuse, expressing hopelessness, extreme mood swings, sleeping too little or too much and increased anger or rage.
This is by no means a comprehensive list. Depression and thoughts of suicide take different forms and you might not ever see warning signs, which is why it’s so important to regularly check in with friends and family members to see how they’re doing.
If you live in the U.S. and are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line.24 If you are in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts, call 911 for immediate assistance.