5.5 Youth Suicide: How Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Gender-Nonconforming Status Shape Risk and Inform Intervention Strategies

Suicide has recently risen to the second leading cause of death in individuals ages 10 –24 years. For every completed suicide, there are an estimated 8–25 attempts, with self-injury even more common. Adolescent females are more likely to engage in suicidal and self-harming behaviors, whereas suicide death is more common among adolescent males. Sexual minority youth endorse higher rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, with gender-diverse youth reporting 2–3 times the rate of suicidal thoughts compared with cis-gender peers.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research