Youth Suicide Rates Have Climbed Since 1999, Data Show
Stunning increases in U.S. suicide rates for all ages gripped headlines today as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data on the subject.
Overlooked in many stories: While the numbers of suicides for children remain low compared to other populations, girls aged 10-14 had the highest growth in suicide rates of any group between 1999 and 2014, the most recent year reported in federal data. In that time, the rate of suicides for girls in that age group tripled, growing from 0.5 per 100,000 people to 1.5 per 100,000 people.
For boys ages 10-14, the rate climbed from 1.9 per 100,000 people to 2.6 per 100,000 people during that time period. Among girls and women ages 15-24, the rate grew from 3 to 4.6 per 100,000 people, and among boys and men in that age group, it grew from 16.8 to 18.2 per 100,000 people, the data show.
Those numbers fit into an overall increase in suicide rates for all age groups. From 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate increased 24 percent, from 10.5 to 13 per 100,000 people, with the pace of increase greater after 2006, the CDC reports.
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