RI youth who committed suicide gave warning signs
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Eighty percent of young people who committed suicide in Rhode Island told someone they were thinking about killing themselves or made a previous attempt, according to new data released Thursday by the state.
The Rhode Island Child Death Review Team said 77 people from ages 13 to 24 committed suicide in the state from 2005 through 2010 -- a rate of 3.2 per 100,000. The national rate is 4.3 per 100,000.
"So many of the young people who ultimately die by suicide have told somebody that they were thinking about it," said Catherine Walsh, deputy director of Rhode Island Kids Count, a nonprofit policy group that works on children's issues. "Any warning of a child who says they are thinking of suicide needs to be taken seriously."
She said it's critical not only that parents and other adults heed warning signs, but also that young people themselves are educated -- beginning as early as in elementary school -- in knowing what to look for.
The report cited risk factors including a family history of suicide or family history of child mistreatment and barriers to accessing mental health services. But it also said that poverty, easy access to "lethal means" and even recent immigration to the country could increase the risk.
Forty-six percent of the young people who killed themselves in the five-year reporting period had been diagnosed with depression or other mental health disorders, according to the data, and 40 percent had a history of substance abuse. Sixteen percent were Hispanic; 10 percent were African-American.
The report said the state has seen an increase in suicides among those under the age of 15 over the past three years, but it didn't give a number.
There were 100 to 200 suicide attempts for every completed suicide, meaning as many as 500 young people end up in Rhode Island emergency rooms every year for having tried to kill themselves.
The most common method of suicide among state youth is hanging, followed by firearm.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in October that Rhode Island leads the nation in the percentage of residents who attempt suicide. According to mental health advocates, the high rate of attempts likely reflects the state's high rates of unemployment and substance abuse, among other factors.
A separate survey in October by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that Rhode Island also has the highest rate of serious mental illness among adults in the country.
