Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Teen Suicide Rate Increases 56% CDC Report Shows, Prompting Pleas For Awareness Among Parents, Teachers
The Washington Post: Teen Suicides Are Increasing At An Alarming Pace, Outstripping All Other Age Groups, A New Report Says
Suicide death rates among teenagers and young adults have increased at an alarming pace in the past decade, according to a new government report. While suicide has steadily become more common across the population, the increase among youths has outpaced all other age groups. For many years, suicide among youths was relatively rare and its frequency relatively stable. But from 2007 to 2017, the number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 suddenly increased 56 percent — from 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people to 10.6, the new report shows. (Wan, 10/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Youth Suicide Rate Rises 56% In Decade, CDC Says
Violent death, including homicide and suicide, is a major cause of premature death for the age group. Around 2010, the death rate of suicides among adolescents and young adults surpassed the rate of homicide deaths, according to the report. “The chances of a person in this age range dying by suicide is greater than homicide, when it used to be the reverse,” said Sally Curtin, a statistician at the CDC and an author of the report. “When a leading cause of death among our youth is increasing, it behooves all of us to pay attention and figure out what’s going on.” (Abbott, 10/17)
Reuters: Suicide Attempts Rising Among Black Teens
While the overall proportion of teens reporting suicidal thoughts or plans declined for all racial and ethnic groups during the study period, the proportion of black teens attempting suicide surged by 73%. “Whatever is happening to result in a downward trend among teens in the general population is missing black teens,” said Michael Lindsey, lead author of the study and executive director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University. (Rapaport, 10/16)
In other mental health news on suicides —
ABC News: NYPD Death By Suicide Is 2nd US Officer Within 24 Hours
The death by suicide suffered on Tuesday by the New York Police Department was the second in the U.S. within 24 hours, continuing a worrying trend among law enforcement. It was the NYPD's 10th so far this year, and it came on the heels of an officer in Montgomery County, Maryland, originally presumed murdered, dying by suicide less than a day earlier. (Barr, 10/16)
