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About the Bilingual Publication
"Understanding Suicide: The Basics"

Comprender el Suicidio: Lo Fundamental

English Version of
"Understanding Suicide: The Basics"

Suicide Prevention: A Parent & Teen Guide to Recognizing Suicide Warning Signs

(Spanish/Español) Prevención de Suicidio Juvenil

Is A Young Person Trying To Tell You Something?

(Spanish/Español) ¿Acaso Un Joven Esta Tratando De Decirle Algo?

Talking To My Kids About My Mental Health Concerns

(Spanish/Español) Hijos Sobre Mis Problemas De Salud Mental

Hope for Prevention

We find among adolescents both a very high risk for suicide and a source of hope for preventing suicide. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently reported a twenty-five percent drop in the suicide rate among American children and teens between 1992 and 2001.

While the CDC did not report a reason for these changes, it may be instructive to note that the drop reflected a dramatic decrease in the rate of gun suicides, perhaps indicating that education about the need to restrict children’s access to firearms might be helping to prevent some suicides in this group. And while the overall suicide rate dropped among children and teens, it must also be pointed out the number of suicides by hanging or other forms of suffocation actually rose among young people in that decade. So while the report indicates that suicide is preventable, it also points to the complexity of the problem.

There is much to be learned about suicide prevention. Suicide has many different causes that involve biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Because suicide is complex, there is a need to address it utilizing a multidisciplinary approach that draws on expertise in not only public health, but also mental health, substance abuse, aging, and many other areas.

Young people who talk about suicide never attempt or complete suicide.

Many young people who attempt suicide talk about it first. It’s an important warning sign.

If you know a young person who is talking about suicidal thoughts or feelings, just say to cheer up—that will help.

Telling someone to cheer up can make it seem like you don’t understand. It’s better to listen and don’t discount their feelings.

It’s better not to talk about suicide with someone who’s feeling down or hopeless. It might make things worse.

The first step in encouraging a suicidal person to live comes from talking about feelings. Fears that are shared are more likely to diminish..

If someone tells you about suicidal feelings and asks you to keep it a secret, you should respect their wishes.

That could literally be a deadly secret to keep. It’s more important to get help, even if that means revealing a secret.

When someone is really suicidal, there’s nothing you can do to help.

You can help by offering your support and the hope that they can find a way to end the pain without attempting suicide.

Only depressed people attempt suicide.

You can have suicidal feelings or even attempt suicide whether you’re clinically depressed or not.

If you can get someone to promise to get help, you’ve done your part.

It’s important to follow through and be sure the person stays safe until you can put him or her in contact with a responsible adult.

Suicide as a Preventable
Public Health Problem

In 1999, The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent Suicide identified suicide as a serious public health problem in the United States. In that year in Texas, suicide claimed the lives of 2,002 people.

In 2003, 2,355 Texans died as a result of suicide—more than a 15 percent increase over the number reported just five years earlier. 2,355 deaths by suicide: That’s more than the 1,519 homicides that occurred in Texas in 2003 and significantly more than the 1,007 Texans who died from HIV that year. Suicide in Texas is a serious public health concern—and one that might be addressed successfully through a coordinated and comprehensive approach aimed at prevention.

Suicide is a leading cause of death that carries a huge social cost, yet because of complex issues such as the stigma associated with mental illness and the lack of adequate research and surveillance dedicated to suicide, it is seldom recognized as a significant public health problem. But consider the toll it is taking on our state:

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Texans and the third leading cause of death among youth ages fifteen to twenty-four.

• In 2003, on average, slightly more than six Texans died from suicide each day.

• Regardless of age, males were more likely to die because of suicide than females. In fact, in 2003, 1,851 males and 504 females died of suicide in Texas.

• Suicide rates are highest among Texans seventy years and older. The highest reported suicide rate was among the seventy-five plus age cohort, which reported a rate of 17.4 per 100,000 in 2003.

• Among women, the highest suicide rate occurred among those in the age group of 45-54. The suicide rate for this group was 9.2 per 100,000 women.

• Adolescents are a particularly vulnerable group. In 2003, 348 adolescents ages fifteen to twenty-four died as a result of suicide. Of these, 276 were boys and seventy-two were girls.

“Suicide is a national problem…
Suicide prevention is a national priority.”

Senate Resolution #84 and House Resolution #212, unanimously passed during the 105th Congress