Teenage suicide rate has tripled over the past two decades (from 4.1 per 100,000 in the 1950’s to 12.5 per 100,000 in 1980).
Youth Behavioral Surveillance Survey (National)
Center for Disease Control & Prevention
| Percentage of High School students who: [2009] | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Felt Sad or Hopeless: (Table 20&21) | 26.3% | 26.1% |
| Seriously considered attempting suicide: (Table 22 & 23) | 11.6% | 13.8% |
| Made a suicide plan: (Table 22 & 23) | 9.4% | 10.9% |
| Attempted suicide: (Table 24 & 25) | 6.5% | 6.3% |
| Suicide attempt Treated by a Doctor or Nurse: (Table 24 & 25) | 2.3% | 1.9% |
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2009
| Percentage of High School students who: [2007] | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Felt Sad or Hopeless: (Table 19 & 20) | 25.7% | 28.5% |
| Seriously considered attempting suicide: (Table 21 & 22) | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| Made a suicide plan: (Table 21 & 22) | 8.1% | 11.3% |
| Attempted suicide: (Table 23 & 24) | 5.7% | 6.9% |
| Suicide attempt Treated by a Doctor or Nurse: (Table 23 & 24) | 2.1% | 2.0% |
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2007
| Percentage of High School students who: [2005] | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Felt Sad or Hopeless: | 27.3% | 28.5% |
| Seriously considered attempting suicide: | 14.5% | 16.9% |
| Made a suicide plan: | 11.6% | 13.0% |
| Attempted suicide: | 8.5% | 8.4% |
| Suicide attempt required medical attention: | 2.7% | 2.3% |
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2005
| Percentage of High School students who: [2003] | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Felt Sad or Hopeless: | 30.1% | 28.6% |
| Seriously considered attempting suicide: | 15.8% | 16.9% |
| Made a suicide plan: | 12.6% | 16.5% |
| Attempted suicide: | 9.9% | 8.5% |
| Suicide attempt required medical attention: | 3.4% | 2.9% |
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2003
| Percentage of High School students who: [2001] | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Felt Sad or Hopeless: | 15.4% | 19.0% |
| Attempted suicide: | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Suicide attempt required medical attention: | 3.1% | 2.6% |
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2001
Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a statewide, school-based confidential survey of Florida’s public high school students. The purpose of the YRBS is to monitor priority health-risk behaviors that contribute substantially to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth, which contribute to patterns in adulthood. The first Florida YRBS was administered in 1991. Since 2001, the YRBS has been jointly administered in odd-numbered years by the Florida Departments of Health and Education. State data collection for the YRBS does not include county-level data. However, six Florida counties (Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach) are or have been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect county-level data.