NCJ Number
120459
Editor(s)
M R Feinleib
Date Published
1989
Length
304 pages
Annotation
The suicide rate for persons aged 15 to 24 has almost tripled in the past 30 years in the United States. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for persons in this age group.
Abstract
Suicide prevention and intervention programs have generally focused on adults, though recently some have added components designed specifically for adolescents. About 1,000 such programs operate in the US staffed 80 percent by volunteers who offer counseling and short-term therapy. Commissioned papers provide overviews on these programs and discuss psychological autopsies, the role of alcohol and drugs, the suicide demographics of gays and different minority groups, the plight of survivors, youth perspectives, the role of volunteers and the mass media, and the Samaritans (a suicide prevention network). A case study focuses on how a community responded to a rash of youth suicides, and lessons learned from it. Tables, figures, references.