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Dabakis Calls For Special Session To Fix Youth Suicide

upr.org
The Utah Legislature.

Salt Lake City Democratic State Sen. Jim Dabakis is calling on Gov. Gary Herbert to call a special legislative session to deal with child suicide in Utah. 

In 2013, suicide became the leading cause of death of youth ages 10 to 19 in Utah, surpassing unintentional injuries. On average, 37 youth in the state will take their own life each year.

While factors contributing to child suicide can range from mental health problems to relationship troubles and bullying, Utah’s suicide problem is one of the worst in the country. The Beehive State has a higher youth suicide rate than the national average. In fact, the state is fifth in the nation for youth suicides. While the national teen suicide rate has remained relatively steady since 1999, Utah’s numbers have gone up over the years.

Of 151 death certificates of children who took their own life, the Utah Department of Health found that 89 percent of victims were male. In fact, male suicides rates were greater than their female peers in every age group, not just with children. However, a higher percentage of student-aged females had seriously contemplated suicide, according to the Prevention Needs Assessment.

63 percent of youth who committed suicide had previous run-ins with the juvenile justice system.