·        Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States, claiming about 30,000 lives a year.

·        Ninety percent of persons who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.

·        Every day, 14 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 commit suicide; that is approximately 1 every 100 minutes.

·        Men are more than four times as likely as women to commit suicide.  However, women attempt suicide about twice as often as men do.

·        The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over the age of 85.

·        Suicide attempts are among the leading causes of hospital admissions in persons under 35.

What You Need to Know About Suicide...

·        Most people who are depressed do not commit suicide. But depression increases the risk for suicide or suicide attempts.

·        It is not true that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it. Suicidal thoughts, remarks, or attempts are ALWAYS SERIOUS...if any of these happen to you or a friend, you seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY...it's better to be safe than sorry....

·        Why Do People Get Depressed? Sometimes people get seriously depressed after something like a divorce in the family, major financial problems, someone you love dying, a messed up home life, or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend.

·        Other times - like with other illnesses - depression just happens. Often young persons react to the pain of depression by getting into trouble: trouble with alcohol, drugs, or sex; trouble with school or bad grades; problems with family or friends. This is another reason why it's important to get treatment for depression before it leads to other trouble.

Depression and Suicide

·        Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying...it means they need treatment.

·        Most people with depression can be helped with psychotherapy, medicine, or both together.

·        Short-term psychotherapy, means talking about feelings with a trained professional who can help change the relationships, thoughts, or behaviors that contribute to depression.

·        Medications are available that effectively treat depression that is severe or disabling.

·        Antidepressant medications are not "uppers" and are not addictive. Sometimes, several types may have to be tried before you and your doctor find the one that works best.

·        Treatment can help most depressed people start to feel better in just a few weeks.

 

 Statistics about Depression

      National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

·        Depression is a common and debilitating illness.

·         This very day, 6.5% of women and 3.3% of men in the US have a major depressive disorder.

·         In any given year, 12% of women and 7% of men in the US will experience a major depressive disorder.

·         In their lifetime, 20% of women and nearly 10% of men in the US will experience a major depressive episode.

·         Depression affects  approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in any given year.   Less than half of these adults are receiving treatment.

 

What about Children and Adolescents….

·        Up to 2.5 percent of young children and up to 8.3 percent of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from depression. 

·        Nationally, less than one third of children and adolescents are receiving treatment.

·        Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth aged 15 to 24.

·        More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. 

·        Over 90% of children and adolescents who commit suicide have a mental disorder.

 

All people with untreated depression are at risk for suicide. 

·        Suicide deaths in the U.S. outnumber homicide deaths by five to three. 

·        Adults with untreated depression are also at higher risk for other illnesses which are the leading causes of death like stroke and heart disease. 

·        Untreated depression costs U.S. employers billions of dollars each year due to absenteeism and workers’ diminished productivity on the job.