Florida youth suicide in 2005: Ideation, attempt and completion

Suicide is a serious public health problem in Florida. It is the 9th leading cause of death overall, and is 3rd among youth 15-24. This study examines suicide ideation, attempts and completions among 15-24 year olds in Florida during 2005. Data sources include the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) (ideation), the Florida Poison Information Network (FPIN) (attempts) and vital statistics deaths (completions). The goal is to describe the ideation, attempts and completions so that effective prevention measures and interventions can be developed. Results: All data are for Florida in the calendar year 2005. As indicated by self-report on the YRBSS among 4564 9th-12th graders, 27.3% were sad or hopeless, 14.5% seriously considered suicide, 11.6% made a plan, 8.5% attempted and 2.7% had an attempt that required healthcare treatment. In each category, females were more likely than males to have considered, planned or attempted suicide. Among 15-24 year olds, there were 3292 intentional suspected suicide poisonings/overdoses reported to the FPIN; 69.5% were female. Among 15-18 year olds, attempt was most frequently by non-opioid analgesics, for 19-24 year olds it was by multiple substances. Three (0.1%) deaths resulted among the 85% followed to outcome. Based on vital statistics data, there were 206 suicides among residents 15-24 years old. Seventy-nine percent were male. The leading cause of death was firearms (43.9%), followed by hanging (38.3%) and poisoning (6.8%). Male deaths exceeded females in every category except poisoning. Females are more likely to attempt, males to complete. Multifaceted interventions are needed early.