Suicide among adolescents in Sacramento County, California 1950-1979

Suicide is one of the three leading causes of death among adolescents. More importantly, the rate of suicide is on the increase among both male and female adolescents (Tischler, McKenry, & Morgan, 1981). Data from the United States show that approximately 25,000 persons commit suicide each year (Coleman, 1976), and almost one-fifth of these are in the 15 to 24 year age group (Hendin, 1975). More disturbing is that a large number of adolescent suicides go unreported and that up to 50% of all these unreported suicides are categorized as "accidents" (Toolan, 1964). Utilizing suicide data collected in Sacramento County, California between 1925 and 1979, we analyzed suicides among persons aged 10 to 24 to determine if there are sociodemographic factors or presuicide behaviors which discriminate between male and female suicides, suicides of different ages, or explain the increase in suicide rates, and to compare adolescent suicide rates in Sacramento County with national findings.