01/14/2026
Knowledge is power; this is tough and disturbing knowledge.
I carefully track suicidology because professionally I have excellent co-counsel relationships with attorneys who concentrate on deaths by su***de, reviewing about 80 su***de cases each year for possible litigation. They accept about 3 each year.
A recent article from Su***de and Life-Threatening Behavior set forth some alarming statistics.
“Su***de is one of the leading causes of death for children and adolescents in the United States, increasing by an alarming rate of 62% over the past two decades. The most pronounced rise occurred among youth aged 10 to 14, where rates tripled from 2007 to 2018, followed by adolescents aged 15 to 19 where rates rose 57% between 2009 and 2017. Even in younger children aged 5-11 , su***de rates rose by 14.7% between 2012 and 2017. More recent data highlight the continued urgency of this issue. In 2023, 2 out of 10 American high schoolers seriously considered attempting su***de, and 16% made a su***de plan. Rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors also vary across demographic groups. Hispanic/Latino youth, in particular, show concerning patterns of risk, with su***de rates rising more than 90% among Hispanic/Latino youth in the past decade and 18% of Hispanic/Latino high schoolers reporting seriously considering a su***de attempt.”
Love, kindness and prayers needed everywhere. Darren.