Youth suicide presents a serious, preventable health problem affecting the lives of young people across Virginia. Suicide and suicide attempts exact enormous tolls in terms of loss of life, physical impairment and medical costs, grief and suffering, and disruption of families and communities.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people aged 10-24 in Virginia and is the third leading cause of death in that age group nationally. On average, two Virginia youths die each week from suicide. Between 2002 and 2006, 505 Virginian youths have committed suicide. In 2006, there were 107 youth suicides, for a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 young Virginians.
Each year, there are more suicide attempts among youth than suicides. Between 2002 and 2006, on average, there were 1,252 hospital discharges each year from self-inflicted injuries. However, obtaining an accurate count of suicide attempts can be difficult because many may not be treated in hospitals or may not be coded as a self-inflicted injury. Also, not all self-inflicted injuries occur with suicide as the intent.
Research suggests that social stigma leads to inaccurate reporting; thus, the figures reported here may not indicate the full extent of suicide attempts and completions. Added to the loss of life from completed suicides and the financial burden that results from suicide attempts is the effect on the health and functioning of families and communities imposed by the special suffering experienced when young people take their own lives.
