Keys To the Closet: Suicide

Some Facts About Youth Suicide:

· In the United States, more than 34,000 people die by suicide each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2007).

· Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group; only accidents and homicide occur more frequently (National Adolescent Health Information 2006).

· Suicide is the leading cause of death on college campuses (CDC 2010).

· For every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2003).

· Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007).

· 60% of high school students have thought about attempting suicide

· More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D’Augelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002)

· Females attempt 5 times more than males. Males complete 4 times more than females.

· Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt (Grossman AH, D’Augelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 2007)

· People with clinical depression have a risk of completing suicide that is 20 times greater than their peers.

· Compared with whites and blacks, Hispanic children "are much more likely to …to attempt suicide if they're a girl, to be obese if they're a boy," Flores said. Dr. Glenn Flores,Glenn, et al- Journal of the American Medical Association 2008.

· Less than 1/2 of students who seriously considered attempting suicide received any professional help (Drum, David J., et al. New Data on the Nature of Suicidal Crises in College Students: Shifting the Paradigm. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 2009; 40(3) 213–222.)

· About 1/3 of those who reported receiving psychological services were already receiving such services before the onset of their suicidal ideation (Drum, David J., et al. New Data on the Nature of Suicidal Crises in College Students: Shifting the Paradigm. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 2009; 40(3) 213–222.)

· People who experience bipolar disorder have highest rate of suicide.

Additional Facts about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth

· Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).

· LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. (GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)

· Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)

· Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools 2009).

· LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM – Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)

· Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et al – Addiction 2008).

· It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness). 62% of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least once—more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005).

· LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C, Huebner D, et al - Peds 2009;123(1):346-352)

· Questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers (Poteat VP, Aragon SR, et al – Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009).

Feeling Suicidal? How to Help Yourself Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer Dec 20, 2008

Feeling suicidal? Ways to help yourself if you're feeling suicidal or suffering from deep depression.

Here are some ways to help yourself if you're feeling suicidal:

Tell your therapist, a friend, a family member, or someone else who can help.
Distance yourself from any means of suicide. If you are thinking of taking an overdose, give your medicines to someone who can give them to you one day at a time. Remove any dangerous objects or weapons from your home.
Avoid alcohol and other drugs of abuse.
Avoid doing things you're likely to fail at or find difficult until you're feeling better. Know what your present limits are and don't try to go beyond them until you feel better. Set realistic goals for yourself and work at them slowly, one step at a time.
Make a written schedule for yourself every day and stick to it no matter what. Set priorities for the things that need to be done first. Cross things out on your schedule as you finish them. A written schedule gives you a sense of predictability and control. Crossing out tasks as you complete them gives a feeling of accomplishment.
In your daily schedule don't forget to schedule at least two 30-minute periods for activities which in the past have given you some pleasure such as: listening to music, playing a musical instrument, meditating doing relaxation exercises, doing needlework, reading a book or magazine, taking a warm bath, sewing, writing, shopping, playing games, watching your favorite DVD or video, gardening, playing with your pet, participating in a hobby, taking a drive or a walk.
Take care of your physical health. Eat a well-balanced diet. Don't skip meals. Get as much sleep as you need, and go out for one or two 30-minute walks each day.
Make sure you spend at least 30-minutes a day in the sun. Bright light is good for everyone with depression, not just people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
You may not feel very social but make yourself talk to other people. Whether you talk about your feelings or about any other topic, reducing your social isolation is likely to be helpful.

Remember that while it may feel as if it will never end, depression is not a permanent condition.

National Alliance for Suicide Prevention http://www.actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/

SAMHSA Suicide Resources http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention/suicide.aspx

Brochure on Transgender Issues Related to Suicide

http://www.masstpc.org/publications/suicideprevention.shtml
"The Family Acceptance Project™ is the only community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that works to decrease major health and related risks for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, such as suicide, substance abuse, HIV and homelessness – in the context of their families. We use a research-based, culturally grounded approach to help ethnically, socially and religiously diverse families decrease rejection and increase support for their LGBT children.

Our team is putting research into practice by developing the first evidence-based family model of wellness, prevention and care to strengthen families and promote positive development and healthy futures for LGBT children and youth. Once developed, we will disseminate our model across the U.S. and to groups we work with in other countries."