An unspoken epidemic: 1 in 5 Idaho teens have considered suicide - East Idaho News
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An unspoken epidemic: 1 in 5 Idaho teens have considered suicide

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New research from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology found there are some behavior patterns that often precede suicide attempts.

IDAHO FALLS — An alarming number of Idaho teens are contemplating suicide, according to new data from the Idaho State Department of Education.

The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released this month, indicates that in 2015, one in five Idaho teens seriously considered attempting suicide in the last 12 months. That’s a 4 percent increase over previous years. Between 2010 and 2014 some 96 Idaho school children took their own lives. Twenty of them were under age 14.

Local and national officials are unsure of the cause of the increase, but it is a growing concern.

“It’s a troubling trend and it’s not clear what’s driving it. The data doesn’t allow us to determine why,” suicide expert Thomas Simon said in a national study. “Is it social media? Is it conventional media? Is it access to other methods?”

Simon is an analyst with Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is reporting a similar rise in rates of suicide and suicidal suicidal ideation in teens across the nation.

Local experts say bullying may be a contributing factor in the increase. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey suggests one in four Idaho teens report they have been bullied in the last twelve months. Twenty-one percent say they were electronically bullied.

Those who have lost loved ones to suicide are often forgotten about or left to suffer in silence because nobody knows what to say or do.

“Bullying happens and it affects everyone from teachers to parents and to students,” Bonneville High School Resource Officer Dan Sperry said. “The result of bullying on students have a wide variety of consequences from grades, to moral, students avoiding school, and all the way up to suicide.”

Besides bullying, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry suggests teens that attempt suicide were significantly more likely to have experienced stressful life events, to have become sexually active, to have smoked more than one cigarette daily or to have a history of having smoked marijuana.

The survey shows suicide is the second leading cause of death for Idahoans age 15-34 and for males age 10-14. Thirty-two percent of students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stopped doing some usual actives.

Some 17 percent of Idaho students made a plan about how they would attempt suicide and 10 percent reported actually attempting.

“I couldn’t speculate as to why rates have jumped in 2015, what I can say is that its a serious issue and there is help out there,” said Rick Croft, Clinical Director of Madison CARES in Madison School District 321.

One of the difficulties Madison CARES deals with is that suicide is a difficult topic for parents to talk about with their children. But Croft says there is one sure fire way to approach it.

“Suicide is such a serious issue,” Croft said. “I don’t think there’s any better way then a straight forward conversation. Any time a parent sees a difference in their child’s behavior is a time to open up a dialogue. The worst thing a parent can do is beat around the bush.”

Croft is one of eight youth mental heath first aid instructors. Parents wanting information about suicide prevention and learning the warning signs can sign up for free classes provided through Madison School District.

Residents can sign up for one of the Youth Mental Health First Aid classes here.

Additionally, the Behavioral Health Center in Idaho Falls also has resources for suicide prevention. BHC spokeswoman Brandi Daw told EastIdahoNews.com about a app available for Android and Apple phones.

The “A friend Asks” app incorporates several useful tools like instant access to the National Suicide Hotline, tips on how to help a friend and resources to get help.

“We are a proud sponsor of the Jason Foundation and the ‘A FRIEND ASKS’ app, we refer parents and concerned family members to this resource,” Dawn said.

Officials say no program can guarantee suicide prevention and if residents suspect a family member or friend is suicidal, they should get medical help immediately.

Download the app:

“A FRIEND ASKS” for Android

“A FRIEND ASKS” for iPhone

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