Teen suicide risks

The answer is A, teen girls are more likely to be at risk for suicide than teen boys.

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, of the nearly 3 million young people who thought about killing themselves, more than a third made an attempt to do so. And according to the survey, girls were about twice as likely as boys to be at risk for suicide -- 16 percent versus 8 percent . The risk was also greater among young people aged 14 to 17 than it was among those aged 12 or 13.

Teens who used alcohol or illegal drugs were also at greater risk of suicide. In particular, youths who reported the use of any illicit drug other than marijuana were almost three times more likely than youths who did not use alcohol or illegal drugs.

Survey officials noted that the most effective way to prevent suicide is to identify those who are at risk and treat them early on. But the survey found that only about a third of those teens who considered killing themselves had received any kind of mental health treatment during that time.

Resources:

Read about teen suicide in the June 2002 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, a report published by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

August 17, 2002