Observing the Impact of Suicide on Family, Friends

Is life ever the same for families and friends following a loved one’s suicide?

Suicide is a tragic event whose effects ripple out and linger on as surviving friends and family members are left to sort out the confusion and pain.

The National Survivors of Suicide Day, which takes place tomorrow, Nov. 19, is a day to recognize the bereavement of families in the wake of a permanent loss of a loved one. Through remembrance and reflection, the day aims to help communities come together to cope with and heal from grief.

Data recently posted to Kidsdata.org show that California’s youth suicide rate has declined to its lowest level in more than 10 years. The rate, which was 6.6 suicides in ’07-’09 per 100,000 youth ages 15-24, was about 30% lower than the rate of 9.4 in ’95-’97. In 2009, there were 407 suicides among 5-24-year-olds in California, which is fairly consistent with previous years.

Kidsdata.org’s indicators on youth suicide and self-inflicted injury include rates of suicide by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as self-inflicted injury hospitalization rates. See a printable fact-sheet of suicide and self-inflicted injury data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers information on youth suicide, attempted suicide, and suicide prevention. More >>

Posted by kidsdata.org

This entry was posted on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at 12:10 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.