Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Young Americans Taking Their Own Lives With Guns Hits Record Levels
ABC News: Gun Suicide Soars As Cause Of Death Among Youth: Report
The rate of young people taking their own lives with firearms in the U.S. has increased faster than for any other age group, and the youth suicide rate is at its highest point in more than 20 years, according to a new gun violence prevention report by Everytown For Gun Safety and first obtained by ABC News. While firearm suicide overall increased about 2% during the pandemic, the rate among young people increased 15% and nearly half of all suicide attempts by young people involve a gun, researchers with Everytown For Gun Safety found. Experts have not pinned down exactly what is causing more young people to turn to suicide with guns, the report notes. But increased anxiety and depression, likely exacerbated by the pandemic, along with the impacts of social media and cyberbullying are among the theorized drivers. (Owen, 6/2)
CBS News: Firearm Suicide Among America's Youth Has Hit Its Highest Rate In 20 Years, Report Finds
As the debate over gun policy has once again moved to the forefront following a string of mass shootings, a new report by Everytown for Gun Safety is shedding light on another aspect of gun violence impacting children: suicide. The report, published on Thursday, found that the rate at which children, teens and young adults are dying by suicide by use of a firearm has increased faster than any other age group over the past decade. According to the group, firearm suicide among ages 10 to 24 is at its highest rate in more than 20 years. (Cohen, 6/2)
And more youths are poisoning themselves —
Stateline: Child Suicides By Poisoning Rose During Pandemic, Studies Show
Suspected suicide attempts by young people ages 6-19 reported to U.S. poison centers increased 27% between 2015 and 2020, according to a new study from the University of Virginia. The findings are based on cases reported to the National Poison Data System as suspected suicides, which includes attempted suicides and deaths. The total number of suspected child suicides by self-poisoning rose from 75,248 in 2015 to 93,532 in 2020, with girls accounting for 78% of cases. (Vestal, 6/1)
Time: More Young People Are Attempting Suicide By Self-Poisoning
Suicides among young people have been on the rise for a long time. Among 10 to 24 year olds, overall rates of deaths by suicide in the U.S. increased 57% from 2000 to 2018, according to federal data. Now, a new study published in the journal Clinical Toxicology has looked more closely at a particular method of attempted suicide—self-poisoning—and turned up some disturbing results: From 2015 to 2020, suicide attempts by ingesting toxic substances or overdosing on medications soared by 26% among people ages 6 to 19. (Kluger, 6/1)
The Seattle Times: Rising Number Of Suicide Attempts Among Young Children Worries NW Physicians, Poison Centers
Dr. Rebecca Marshall became increasingly concerned as she did rounds in the ER at a children’s hospital in Portland. More young children than usual — and girls in particular — were being brought to the hospital after swallowing medications to attempt suicide. Children of jarringly young ages, some just 9 or 10, were seeking out pills in the family medicine cabinet. As Marshall tried to come to grips with what she was witnessing, she’d make a point to ask: Why did you think about ending your life? (Furfaro, 5/31)
More on teen suicide and mental health —
The CT Mirror: School Mental Health Center Debate Roils Rural CT Town
It’s not clear whether having mental health care at his school would have helped Charlie Cournoyer. Maybe a professional could have identified the early signs of his mental illness and intervened. Then again, maybe not. What is perfectly clear to his mother, Judy Cournoyer, is that there’s a need in Killingly for more mental health resources. And if her son’s 2009 death can help other students get help, she wants to find a way to make it happen. (Monk, 6/2)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The People Trying To Reduce Youth Suicide In Missouri And What They Need
After two St. Louis University students died of suicide this fall, nearly 10,000 people signed an online petition started by a student calling for changes to the way the university provides mental health services. Two more students have died of suicide since, and some in the SLU community — much like students, parents and educators across the country — are getting involved in grassroots prevention efforts. (Sultan, 5/27)
KING5.com: Student-Athletes Dying By Suicide Raise Mental Health Concerns
The number of college athletes who have died by suicide is raising concerns about the struggle student-athletes face. There have been multiple suicides at universities across the country recently, including 22-year-old Stanford University soccer star Katie Meyer, who died by suicide in March, and Washington State University quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who died by suicide in January 2018. ... When you dig deeper into the why, Mark Hilinski said there are a number of reasons a student may take their own life. Some experts said the same characteristics that make a student a great athlete also have a darker side. “This drive to make every shot, to win every race, every game, there's a lot of pressure they're putting on themselves," said Dr. Jennifer Louie, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute in San Francisco. (Kakade, 5/31)
