Youth Suicide Rate is on the Rise
Shocking Increase in Youth Suicide Attempts
Suicide and homicide rates have increased in recent years among young adults in the U.S., based on a new federal report. Six students who had attended Herriman High School in Utah committed suicide within the same year in 2017, which is why the Wall Street Journal visited and created the video above.
According to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate among young adults ages 10 to 24 years old increased by 56% between 2007 and 2017.
According to the PBS article, while suicide was the 10th most common cause of death among Americans of all ages in 2017, it was the second leading cause of death among young Americans age 15 to 24, according to new data released Thursday from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the experts saying?
Sally Curtin, a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics who has studied these suicide trends for years and served as the report’s lead author, said, “The community at large needs to pay attention and figure out what’s going on, what’s driving these trends.”
According to Heather Kelly, a clinical psychologist with the American Psychological Association, there is an urgent need for more research to seek out evidence-based ways to prevent suicide and help those who struggle with thoughts of self-harm among young adults.
People don’t need help because they’re suicidal. They need help and that’s why they’re suicidal.
How does Start Day One help in suicide prevention?
Most of these young adults don’t need help because they’re suicidal. They need help and that’s why they’re suicidal. We need to remedy the cause, not the result. The cause of suicidal tendencies always stems from a bad perspective based on their life experience so far. Until you change their perspective, people will always sway towards bad decisions that are influenced by their perspective.
All of these organizations are always reacting to or waiting for symptoms of suicidal tendencies instead of implementing ways or strategies to actually prevent suicide. For example, the only time schools and other organizations invite speakers about suicide prevention awareness is AFTER a suicide incident.
We need to proactively make the effort to speak to these young adults and change their perspective BEFORE they get suicidal tendencies. “Sometimes you kinda need someone to like reach out to you, and like ask you the right questions.” said [a student from the video] from Herriman High School.
We are raising funds so that we can send speakers to the schools to change their perspective by inspiring them with our message and providing them with the knowledge to maintain a healthy mindset.
Please help us by donating or raising funds to help Start Day One send speakers at high schools across the U.S. If you know anyone who is willing to host a speaking engagement at their class or school, please email us at info@startdayone.org
