Health

Teenage suicide rates continue to rise in US

by Terri Potratz | September 3, 2008 at 01:01 pm

830 views | 3 Recommendations | 3 comments

A recent study by the The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital out of Columbus, Ohio suggests that teenage suicide rates may be on the rise in the U.S.

From 1996 to 2003, the rate of suicides among boys and girls ages 10 to 19 fell 25 percent, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Then, in 2004, it jumped 18 percent.

Causes for an isolated increase of pediatric suicide in 2003-2004 would have been attributed to any number of possible factors, but because the rise persisted into the 2004-2005 period, researchers are taking notice and calling for additional studies to be conducted. Potential causes may include negative effects from online social networking sites, and a recent decline in the use of antidepressants since warning labels appeared on the medications in 2004.

"The fact that this significant increase in pediatric suicides continued into 2005 implies that the alarming spike witnessed from 2003-2004 was more than just a single-year anomaly," said Jeff Bridge, PhD, lead author and a principal investigator in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "We now need to consider the possibility that the increase is an indicator of an emerging public health crisis."

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Emilio Lizardo

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:50 on September 3rd, 2008

Terri Potratz, important story. It's bad stuff.

Nobody's talking about this ...

Heck, US govt. isn't even talking about the deep economic recession which is already here and very much alive and well - they're sure as heck not going to want to talk about this nasty little secret of teen suicide ...

Instead of openly discussing this issue, govt. will see it's roll as being one to downplay, obfuscate, and downright discredit ...

Very sad ...

Terri Potratz

at 14:11 on September 3rd, 2008

It's especially alarming to think of the lack of research and attention on the long term effects of the internet on teens - I occasionally hear of kids bullying one another online and at school, but generally these types of issues are kept hush hush.

It worries me to think of the consequences of such intensive internet use among adolescents - especially when they're being bullied online, and even the virtual realm isn't a safe place for them.