Teenage girls suicide rates soar in the U.S.
New York. Candace Downing (photo) was 12 years old. She suffered from anxiety and psychiatrist prescribed an antidepressant. Ten and a half months later, on Jan. 10, 2004, her mother found Candace hanging from the valance over her bed in their Laytonsville, Md., home. At the time, Candace’s suicide was heavily reported on. Emotions were raw. And the parents blamed their daughter’s suicide on the prescribed drug Zoloft, used to treat anxiety and depression. Candace’s story was the topic of a documentary. Three years later, her parents are keeping her story alive and raising awareness to the issue of antidepressants. As Andrew Downing, Candace’s father puts it in an email to the.point.is., “the education being provided by many people has ensured Candace’s story will never disappear”. Candace is one of 94 10- to 14-year-old girls, who committed suicide in 2004, according to a report released on September 7 2007 by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is an increase of 75,9% in rates from the previous year. Suicide rates among older teen girls, those aged 15-19 shot up 32 percent during that same period, while rates for males in that age group rose 9 percent. “It is huge and dramatic”, said Gail Hayes, senior communication officer at CDC in Atlanta. U.S. health officials say they cannot fully explain that increase and are conducting research into the causes of teen suicide “Right now, the only information we have is what is written on the death warrants, added Gail Hayes. These warrants do not tell us the circumstances of the suicides.” Richard Lieberman, who coordinates the suicide prevention program for Los Angeles public schools, said to AP that one cause could be a rise in depression during tumultuous adolescent years. In Atlanta, Gail Hayes said the situation is complex and U.S. health officials do not know if the rise of teen suicides in 2004 is the beginning of a trend or not. Overall, there were 4,599 suicides among 10-to-24-year-old males and females in 2004, making it the third-leading cause of death, surpassed only by car crashes and homicide. Another worrying evolution is the change in suicide method. Death by hanging or suffocation replaced the guns formerly used by young people to kill themselves. This trend tends to show that suicide is now more accessible to young people. 71% of 10- to 14-year-old girls chose to die by hanging or suffocation in 2004. One of them was Candace Downing. A French version of this story was published on September 15 in 24heures and Tribune de Genève in Switzerland. CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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