HONOLULU — The rate at which Hawai‘i teens and young adults are taking their own lives has more than doubled over the past five years, spurring some mental health experts to call it an emergency situation. The number of suicides
HONOLULU — The rate at which Hawai‘i teens and young adults are taking their own lives has more than doubled over the past five years, spurring some mental health experts to call it an emergency situation.
The number of suicides for youth ages 15 to 24 surged from 15 in 2007 to 36 in 2011, according to the most recent state Department of Health data. This makes it the leading cause of injury-related death for most age groups — all but the very young and the very old — outpacing car crashes, homicide, poisoning and drowning.
That means suicide is killing more people than anything but a serious illness. The trend has alarmed professionals in the nonprofit world and government agencies.
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