WHAT ARE THE FACTS ABOUT ADOLESCENT SUICIDE IN MONTANA?

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Montana youth ages 15-24.
• Only unintentional injuries such as car wrecks, drowning and fire kill more Montana youth than does suicide.
• This is not a new phenomenon. Montana has ranked in the top 5 states for the highest rates of youth suicide for the past several decades.
• Alcohol and drug impairment, a sense of hopelessness, and underlying mental illness all contribute to the high rate of youth suicide.
• In 2005, 25.6% of high school students in Montana reported they felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks ore more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. (YRBS/OPI)
• Well over half of all Montana high school students have used alcohol within the past 30 days
• Montana follows the same pattern as most of the United States: females are more apt to attempt suicide, and males are more apt to complete suicide. This is because more females choose reversible means such as poison, and more males choose irreversible means such as firearms.
• It is estimated that the suicide-related medical costs in Montana for a single year total over $6 million, lost future earnings tops $19 million, and loss to quality of life is estimated at $78 million.

The emotional and social cost of these losses is immeasurable. Most every person in Montana has felt the hurt, anger, loss and despair caused by this kind of preventable death.

Youth Suicide Prevention Montana:
http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/PHSD/family-health/suicide-prevention/suicide-prev-index.shtml