Suicide Prevention
Youth Suicide Prevention Project Website
Depression is the most significant risk factor for suicide. Ninety percent of those that die by suicide have some kind of mental illness and 60% of the time that illness is a mood disorder such as depression.
Did you know.....?
- Depression is the most prevalent mental health disorder (NIMH, 2009).
- It is estimated 1 in 33 children and 1 in 8 adolescents may suffer the symptoms of depression (NIMH, 2009).
- Teenage girls are more likely to develop depression than teenage boys (NIMH, 2007).
- A family history of depression (i.e., a parent) increases the chances (by 11 times) that a child will also have depression (NIMH, 2009).
- Based on the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS), 26.1 % students in grades 9-12 reported a prolonged sense of depression over the past year; 13.8% of students reported they seriously considered attempting suicide while 10.9% actually made plans. 6.3% of students participating in the survey reported making one or more attempts in the past year (CDC, 2009).
- Depression is the psychiatric diagnosis most commonly associated with suicide and approximately 2/3 of people who die by suicide are depressed at the time of their deaths (AAS, 2009).