Youth Suicide: An Opportunity for Prevention

In the United States, youth suicide is a large and growing public health problem that contributes to health care costs, lost productivity, morbidity, and premature death. In 2017, an estimated 199,877 youths aged 10 to 24 years were treated in emergency departments in the United States for self-harm,¹ and 7.4% of high school students reported that they attempted suicide one or more times in the past year.² Suicide was the second leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 24 years in 2017,¹ and the suicide rate increased significantly for both male and female youths from 1999 to 2017.³.