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Suicide Prevention News and Resources
HHS HealthBeat (January 17, 2012)
Be Aware!
Children attempting suicide
A study indicates that young people who attempt suicide may do it at surprisingly young ages. University of Washington researcher James Mazza saw in survey data on 883 18- or 19-year-olds who had attempted suicide that almost 40 percent said their first attempt was made before high school.
"The earliest was age 9, either third or fourth grade. There's a sharp increase at sixth grade, at age 12. The attempts continue to rise, with the peak being eighth to ninth grade." Mazza says parents and kids need to talk about these things – and parents should monitor the kids’ moods, notably depression.
The study in the Journal of Adolescent Health was supported by the National Institutes of Health.