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Suicide was the fourth leading cause of death for juveniles older than age 6
A total of 20,775 youth ages 7–17
committed suicide in the U.S. between 1981 and
1998, making it the fourth leading cause
of death for persons in this age group.2 In
these years, 4% of all individuals who
committed suicide were younger than age 18.
Unintentional injuries were the leading
cause of death for youth ages 7–17 between
1981 and 1998. Of these 123,700 deaths,
65% were the result of motor vehicle crashes, 10% were drownings, 5% were firearms
related, and 5% were caused by fire or
burns. The second leading cause of death
for juveniles ages 7–17 was homicide (27,000). Less common than homicide but
more common than suicide were deaths
resulting from malignant neoplasms (i.e.,
cancer) (24,000).
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Two sources of data on
homicide victims
There are two sources of national
data on homicide victims: the
National Center for Health Statistics’
(NCHS’s) National Vital Statistics
System reported by coroners or
medical examiners and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s)
Supplementary Homicide Reports reported by law enforcement agencies. The
NCHS data indicate that 27,000 youth
ages 7–17 were victims of homicide
in the U.S. between 1981 and 1998.
The estimate using the FBI data is
24,600 (91% of the NCHS estimate).
Researchers have speculated on the
reasons for this discrepancy: inconsistent reporting procedures, definitional differences, the incomplete/voluntary reporting of law enforcement agencies to the FBI, or the
reclassification (or lack thereof) of deaths after an initial report. In this
Bulletin, all information on the victims of suicide and homicide come from
the NCHS data. Characteristics of homicide offenders come from analyses of the FBI data because the NCHS data do not contain information on perpetrators.
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From 1983 to 1987, the number of juveniles ages 7–17 who committed
suicide in the U.S. was equal to or greater than the number who were
murdered
- Suicides of juveniles ages 7–17 increased from the early to the late 1980s and then remained relatively constant for most of the 1990s, in contrast to juvenile murder trends. The number of suicides peaked in 1994 and the number of murders peaked a year earlier. Between 1981 and 1994, suicides increased 44%, whereas homicides increased 82%.
- After 1994, the annual number of murders of juveniles ages 7–17 fell sharply, whereas suicides in this group declined only marginally. As a result, there were 28% more suicides and 9% more homicides of juveniles in 1998 than there were in 1981.
Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. [See Data source notes for detail.]
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The number of juveniles who committed suicide between 1981 and
1998 increased substantially with age, a trend paralleled by the number
of murders
- One likely limitation of the juvenile suicide data is that counts may be underreported due
to errors in classifying the cause of death as something other than suicide and possible
reluctance of medical examiners to classify the cause of death, particularly for persons
under age 10, as suicide.
- Over this period, the number of persons ages 13–14 murdered in the U.S. equaled the
number who committed suicide.
- The number of 17-year-olds who committed suicide between 1981 and 1998 was 11 times
the number of 12-year-olds who committed suicide.
Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. [See Data source notes for detail.]
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Data table
| State
|
1981–98
Suicide
Rate* |
1981–98
Suicide/
Homicide
Ratio† |
|
| United
States |
29.3 |
0.70 |
| Alabama
|
29.2 |
0.80 |
| Alaska
|
68.2 |
2.05 |
| Arizona
|
46.7 |
1.06 |
| Arkansas
|
37.3 |
0.99 |
| California
|
24.1 |
0.40 |
| Colorado
|
47.6 |
1.85 |
| Connecticut
|
19.2 |
0.57 |
| Delaware
|
26.7 |
1.41 |
| Dist.
of Columbia |
16.8 |
0.05 |
| Florida
|
27.8 |
0.69 |
| Georgia
|
28.2 |
0.72 |
| Hawaii
|
24.5 |
1.90 |
| Idaho
|
61.7 |
4.68 |
| Illinois
|
23.4 |
0.36 |
| Indiana
|
29.4 |
1.16 |
| Iowa
|
34.6 |
3.33 |
| Kansas
|
35.9 |
1.35 |
|
| State
|
1981–98
Suicide
Rate* |
1981–98
Suicide/
Homicide
Ratio† |
|
| Kentucky
|
29.2 |
1.67 |
| Louisiana
|
33.8 |
0.57 |
| Maine
|
37.3 |
4.03 |
| Maryland
|
24.5 |
0.48 |
| Massachusetts
|
17.7 |
0.85 |
| Michigan
|
29.0 |
0.58 |
| Minnesota
|
38.0 |
2.77 |
| Mississippi
|
28.5 |
0.72 |
| Missouri
|
30.2 |
0.69 |
| Montana
|
61.9 |
3.06 |
| Nebraska
|
34.5 |
1.94 |
| Nevada
|
47.1 |
1.05 |
| New
Hampshire |
33.1 |
3.33 |
| New
Jersey |
15.3 |
0.60 |
| New
Mexico |
59.1 |
1.38 |
| New
York |
16.0 |
0.35 |
| North
Carolina |
30.9 |
1.02 |
|
| State
|
1981–98
Suicide
Rate* |
1981–98
Suicide/
Homicide
Ratio† |
|
| North
Dakota |
48.4 |
8.64 |
| Ohio
|
26.7 |
1.27 |
| Oklahoma
|
38.7 |
1.19 |
| Oregon
|
39.2 |
1.93 |
| Pennsylvania
|
26.3 |
1.04 |
| Rhode
Island |
19.7 |
0.91 |
| South
Carolina |
26.8 |
0.91 |
| South
Dakota |
55.7 |
4.92 |
| Tennessee
|
30.6 |
1.04 |
| Texas
|
33.5 |
0.73 |
| Utah
|
52.9 |
3.13 |
| Vermont
|
34.6 |
3.44 |
| Virginia
|
32.0 |
1.10 |
| Washington
|
34.0 |
1.31 |
| West
Virginia |
28.5 |
1.38 |
| Wisconsin
|
36.3 |
1.85 |
| Wyoming
|
61.3 |
3.88 |
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* The suicide rate is the average annual number of suicides of youth ages 7–17 divided by the average annual population of youth ages 7–17 (in millions).
† The suicide/homicide ratio is the total number of suicides of youth ages 7–17 divided by the total number of homicides of youth ages 7–17. A ratio of
less than 1.0 indicates that the number of homicides is greater than the number of suicides.
- Suicide rates were lowest in some highly urban areas (New Jersey, New York, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island) and highest in the relatively rural states (Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and New Mexico).
- The reasons for variations in the numbers of juvenile suicides and homicides among states are beyond the scope of this Bulletin. States with the
largest suicide/homicide ratios tend to have low homicide rates.
Data source: NVSS, compiled by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See Data source
notes for detail.]
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| Juvenile Suicides, 1981–1998 |
Youth Violence Research Bulletin • March 2004 |
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