Key findings:
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 352 ■ October 2019
Data from the National Vital Statistics System
● After stable trends from 2000 to 2007, suicide rates for persons aged 10–24 increased from 2007 (6.8 per 100,000 persons) to 2017 (10.6), while homicide rates declined from 2007 to 2014 and then increased through 2017.
● The suicide rate for persons aged 10–14 declined from 2000 (1.5) to 2007 (0.9), and then nearly tripled from 2007 to 2017 (2.5), while the homicide rate declined 18% from 2000 (1.1) to 2017 (0.9).
● For persons aged 15–19 and 20–24, suicide and homicide death rates both increased more recently during the 2000–2017 period, with the increase in suicide rates beginning earlier than for homicide rates.
● For the total age group 10–24 and for persons aged 15–19 and 20–24, suicide rates surpassed homicide rates during the latter part of the 2000–2017 period.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db352-h.pdf
The study doesn't answer the question that is: What’s Behind the Dramatic Rise in Teen and Pre-Teen Suicide?
Feel free to state some causes of this troubling trend and what can we do about it?
I have a three thoughts:
1) This generation is one that was raised with social media that older generations didn't have growing up or were in their initial phases, plus the technological devices such as smart phones that contributes to this new world. Perhaps this isolates too many youth, where true friendships aren't as developed as in past years, and that technology isolates people more. We don't talk to each other at dinnertime as much, we stare into our i-phones (this objection is certainly not new - when televisions first came out in the middle of the 20th Century, this was seen as the first wave of families starting to become disconnected). And then there is on-line bullying, which brings school-yard bullying into the home that wasn't a factor in years past.
2) There is this mindset being taught and promoted that human beings are a plague on the planet. Environmental concerns have pointed all the ails of this planet (real or imagined) on the existance of humans, and how the world would be better of if human beings eliminated themselves. So you have this generation that is being scared about the world ending due to human existance. That would weigh heavily on the youth that there is no future for them. This has been going on since the '70s but has only become more alarmist in this century.
3) Lack of a spiritual upbringing. Without being rooted in a higher spiritual power (I'll go ahead and say it: God), people can wander around without any basis of hope. That we're mere accidents and have no purpose in life. We've seen each subsequent generation not value being trained in spiritual matters. If the parents don't value church, why should the children? Then each generation becomes less involved in church. Why bother going on when things get tough? Where is hope? What is the value of life?
Anyhoo, just some thoughts of mine. Feel free to share your own...
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 352 ■ October 2019
Data from the National Vital Statistics System
● After stable trends from 2000 to 2007, suicide rates for persons aged 10–24 increased from 2007 (6.8 per 100,000 persons) to 2017 (10.6), while homicide rates declined from 2007 to 2014 and then increased through 2017.
● The suicide rate for persons aged 10–14 declined from 2000 (1.5) to 2007 (0.9), and then nearly tripled from 2007 to 2017 (2.5), while the homicide rate declined 18% from 2000 (1.1) to 2017 (0.9).
● For persons aged 15–19 and 20–24, suicide and homicide death rates both increased more recently during the 2000–2017 period, with the increase in suicide rates beginning earlier than for homicide rates.
● For the total age group 10–24 and for persons aged 15–19 and 20–24, suicide rates surpassed homicide rates during the latter part of the 2000–2017 period.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db352-h.pdf
The study doesn't answer the question that is: What’s Behind the Dramatic Rise in Teen and Pre-Teen Suicide?
Feel free to state some causes of this troubling trend and what can we do about it?
I have a three thoughts:
1) This generation is one that was raised with social media that older generations didn't have growing up or were in their initial phases, plus the technological devices such as smart phones that contributes to this new world. Perhaps this isolates too many youth, where true friendships aren't as developed as in past years, and that technology isolates people more. We don't talk to each other at dinnertime as much, we stare into our i-phones (this objection is certainly not new - when televisions first came out in the middle of the 20th Century, this was seen as the first wave of families starting to become disconnected). And then there is on-line bullying, which brings school-yard bullying into the home that wasn't a factor in years past.
2) There is this mindset being taught and promoted that human beings are a plague on the planet. Environmental concerns have pointed all the ails of this planet (real or imagined) on the existance of humans, and how the world would be better of if human beings eliminated themselves. So you have this generation that is being scared about the world ending due to human existance. That would weigh heavily on the youth that there is no future for them. This has been going on since the '70s but has only become more alarmist in this century.
3) Lack of a spiritual upbringing. Without being rooted in a higher spiritual power (I'll go ahead and say it: God), people can wander around without any basis of hope. That we're mere accidents and have no purpose in life. We've seen each subsequent generation not value being trained in spiritual matters. If the parents don't value church, why should the children? Then each generation becomes less involved in church. Why bother going on when things get tough? Where is hope? What is the value of life?
Anyhoo, just some thoughts of mine. Feel free to share your own...
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