Introduction to a Special Series on Youth Suicide

Suicide was the second leading cause of death among 10 to 34 year olds in the United States in 2023, the most recent year of data available. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as annual surveys of high school students show that approximately 20% of high school students seriously considered ending their life by suicide (suicidal ideation), approximately 15% made a suicide plan, 10% made a suicide attempt, yet most clinicians focus on the 2.5% annually who sought medical attention of a suicide attempt. Youth self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB; includes suicidal thoughts and deliberate self-harm including suicide attempt), and death by suicide have increased over recent years in the United States, with especially alarming increases among younger children, girls, and sexual/gender, racial and ethnic minorities. Van Meter and colleagues' (2023) meta-analysis of studies of youth ages 6-21 found that globally, the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) ranged from about 14-23% and suicide attempt prevalence ranged from 5-16%. System-involved youth (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice) are approximately twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors as other youth, possibly in part due to their high rates of trauma and child maltreatment exposure, which are key risk factors for SITB.