TABLE 12. Number* and percentage† of youth suicides, by precipitating circumstances and decedent’s age group — National Violent Death Reporting System, 32 states,§ 2016.
| Precipitating circumstance | 10–17 yrs |
18–24 yrs |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | No. (%) | |
|
Mental health/Substance abuse
| |||
| Current diagnosed mental health problem¶ |
377 (46.3) |
1,133 (45.7) |
1,510 (45.9)
|
| Depression/dysthymia |
279 (74.0) |
792 (69.9) |
1,071 (70.9)
|
| Anxiety disorder |
75 (19.9) |
191 (16.9) |
266 (17.6)
|
| Bipolar disorder |
18 (4.8) |
176 (15.5) |
194 (12.8)
|
| ADD/ADHD |
63 (16.7) |
67 (5.9) |
130 (8.6)
|
| Schizophrenia |
2 (<1.0) |
74 (6.5) |
76 (5.0)
|
| PTSD |
6 (1.6) |
47 (4.1) |
53 (3.5)
|
| OCD |
1 (<1.0) |
11 (<1.0) |
12 (<1.0)
|
| Eating disorder |
1 (<1.0) |
5 (<1.0) |
6 (<1.0)
|
| Other |
55 (14.6) |
68 (6.0) |
123 (8.1)
|
| Unknown |
32 (8.5) |
119 (10.5) |
151 (10.0)
|
| History of ever being treated for a mental health problem |
335 (41.2) |
881 (35.6) |
1,216 (36.9)
|
| Current depressed mood |
290 (35.6) |
900 (36.3) |
1,190 (36.1)
|
| Current mental health treatment |
247 (30.3) |
602 (24.3) |
849 (25.8)
|
| Substance abuse problem (excludes alcohol) |
74 (9.1) |
525 (21.2) |
599 (18.2)
|
| Alcohol problem |
26 (3.2) |
307 (12.4) |
333 (10.1)
|
| Other addiction (e.g., gambling, sex) |
3 (<1.0) |
14 (<1.0) |
17 (<1.0)
|
|
Interpersonal
| |||
| Intimate partner problem |
204 (25.1) |
816 (32.9) |
1,020 (31.0)
|
| Family relationship problem |
265 (32.6) |
294 (11.9) |
559 (17.0)
|
| Other relationship problem (nonintimate) |
62 (7.6) |
94 (3.8) |
156 (4.7)
|
| Other death of family member or friend |
44 (5.4) |
109 (4.4) |
153 (4.6)
|
| Suicide of family member or friend |
36 (4.4) |
77 (3.1) |
113 (3.4)
|
| Perpetrator of interpersonal violence during past month |
3 (<1.0) |
38 (1.5) |
41 (1.2)
|
| Victim of interpersonal violence during past month |
5 (<1.0) |
12 (<1.0) |
17 (<1.0)
|
|
Life stressor
| |||
| Crisis during previous or upcoming 2 weeks |
317 (38.9) |
781 (31.5) |
1,098 (33.4)
|
| Argument or conflict |
202 (24.8) |
536 (21.6) |
738 (22.4)
|
| School problem |
212 (26.0) |
117 (4.7) |
329 (10.0)
|
| Recent criminal legal problem |
35 (4.3) |
230 (9.3) |
265 (8.0)
|
| Job problem |
6 (<1.0) |
216 (8.7) |
222 (6.7)
|
| Physical health problem |
32 (3.9) |
104 (4.2) |
136 (4.1)
|
| Financial problem |
4 (<1.0) |
127 (5.1) |
131 (4.0)
|
| History of child abuse/neglect |
40 (4.9) |
48 (1.9) |
88 (2.7)
|
| Eviction or loss of home |
3 (<1.0) |
53 (2.1) |
56 (1.7)
|
| Noncriminal legal problem |
6 (<1.0) |
41 (1.7) |
47 (1.4)
|
| Physical fight (two persons, not a brawl) |
9 (1.1) |
38 (1.5) |
47 (1.4)
|
| Traumatic anniversary |
5 (<1.0) |
16 (<1.0) |
21 (<1.0)
|
| Caretaker abuse/neglect led to death |
5 (<1.0) |
4 (<1.0) |
9 (<1.0)
|
| Exposure to disaster |
0 (0.0) |
1 (<1.0) |
1 (<1.0)
|
|
Crime and criminal activity
| |||
| Precipitated by another crime |
20 (2.5) |
87 (3.5) |
107 (3.3)
|
| Crime in progress** |
6 (30.0) |
28 (32.2) |
34 (31.8)
|
| Terrorist attack |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0) |
0 (0.0)
|
|
Suicide event
| |||
| History of suicidal thoughts or plans |
290 (35.6) |
886 (35.8) |
1,176 (35.7)
|
| Left a suicide note |
322 (39.6) |
816 (32.9) |
1,138 (34.6)
|
| History of suicide attempt |
173 (21.3) |
589 (23.8) |
762 (23.1)
|
|
Suicide disclosure
| |||
| Disclosed suicide intent |
201 (24.7) |
652 (26.3) |
853 (25.9)
|
| Disclosed intent to whom†† | |||
| Previous or current intimate partner |
38 (18.9) |
232 (35.6) |
270 (31.7)
|
| Other family member |
57 (28.4) |
194 (29.8) |
251 (29.4)
|
| Friend/colleague |
65 (32.3) |
120 (18.4) |
185 (21.7)
|
| Health care worker |
7 (3.5) |
14 (2.1) |
21 (2.5)
|
| Other person |
22 (10.9) |
57 (8.7) |
79 (9.3)
|
| Unknown |
12 (6.0) |
35 (5.4) |
47 (5.5)
|
| Total§§ | 814 (89.4) | 2,478 (90.3) | 3,292 (90.1) |
Abbreviations: ADD/ADHD = attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; OCD = obsessive-compulsive disorder; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder.
* Includes suicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. More than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
† Denominator includes those suicides with one or more precipitating circumstances. The sum of percentages in columns exceeds 100% because more than one circumstance could have been present per decedent.
§ Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington collected data on ≥80% of violent deaths in the state, in accordance with requirements under which the state was funded.
¶ Includes decedents with one or more diagnosed current mental health problems; therefore, sums of percentages for the diagnosed conditions exceed 100%. Denominator includes the number of decedents with one or more current diagnosed mental health problems.
** Denominator includes those decedents involved in an incident that was precipitated by another crime.
†† Denominator includes decedents who disclosed intent.
§§ Circumstances were unknown for 363 decedents (97 aged 10–17 years and 266 aged 18–24 years); total no. of youth suicide decedents = 3,655 (911 aged 10–17 years and 2,744 aged 18–24 years).