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Youth Suicide in Alameda County: �An Overview of the data

Alameda County Public Health Department

Office of Violence Prevention &

Community, Assessment, Planning, and Evaluation Unit

Ari Davis, Violence Prevention Epidemiologist

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Suicide Prevention Workshop for Parents of Children & Adolescents

February 8, 2025

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Our Work in Youth Suicide Prevention

  • Priority area of Office of Violence Prevention
    • CA Health Department program – Ages 0-25
      • Youth Suicide Reporting and Crisis Response Pilot Program
  • What we do:
    • Fund 5 youth suicide prevention organizations
    • System mapping – services, gaps
    • Use data to inform programs
      • Who is impacted, by what types of violence, where and when

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What We’ll Discuss

  • Suicidal ideation
  • Populations at elevated risk
  • Self-harm injuries
  • Suicide deaths
  • Firearm access and suicide risk

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Many Alameda County Youth Report Suicidal Ideation

Roughly 14,000 – 17,000 youth ages 15-19 have seriously considered suicide within the past year.

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LGBT Youth Face Higher Levels of Suicidal Ideation

Stigma and discrimination contribute to these high levels

5X

3X

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Many factors increase suicide risk

    • Mental illness
    • Stigma
    • Exposure to trauma
    • Economic hardship
    • Criminal justice involvement
    • Foster care involvement
    • Housing instability

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Societal and community level factors contribute to suicide risk

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Very few youth who experience suicidal ideation die by suicide

Death: Less than 0.1%

Serious Injury: Less than 5%

Ideation & attempts, not requiring medical attention: 95%+

  • County programs support youth who are at risk for suicide, minimize severity

  • Differing tiers of interventions and services are needed

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  • Identify those most at risk, focus intensive interventions to support them

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Suicides and self-harm injuries

  • Each year, among Alameda County residents under age 26, there are an average of:
    • 733 Self harm emergency room visits
    • 161 Self harm hospitalizations
    • 18 Suicides
  • 4th leading cause of death among those ages 10-25

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Nonfatal suicide attempts and self harm in Alameda County, Ages 0-25

  • Females ages 13-18 are at highest risk
    • Females = 73% of nonfatal injuries
    • Nonfatal injury risk peaks at age 15 for females
  • Most nonfatal self harm injuries are by prescription drug overdose, cutting (75%)
    • Almost no nonfatal hanging or gunshot injuries

Those who attempt suicide and are injured are at much higher risk for fatal suicide

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Suicide Deaths in Alameda County, Ages 0-25

  • Males ages 19-25 are at highest risk
    • Males = 63% of deaths
    • Age 19-25 = 82% of suicides among those 0-25
  • Black youth are disproportionately impacted
  • Method: Hanging (36%), gunshot (31%), jumps (17%)
    • Almost no prescription drug overdose suicides

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Most youth suicide deaths occur during transition from adolescence to adulthood. Different interventions may be needed to reach this group

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Limiting access to lethal means can reduce suicide

  • Attempts by inducing drugs or by cutting are rarely lethal
    • 1-8% of the time
    • Chance to interrupt mid-attempt
  • Attempts by hanging and firearm are almost always lethal
    • 75-90% of the time
    • Can’t reverse an attempt
  • Suicidal crisis can often be impulsive, short-lived
  • 93% of those who attempt suicide and survive do not go on to die by suicide.

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Putting distance between a suicidal person and a gun can save a life

Issue

  • Firearms ownership triples the risk of suicide for household members
  • Most youth who died by firearm suicide used a firearm belonging to a family member

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Strategies

  • Always lock firearms and ammunition
  • Be alert to signs of suicide, keep guns away
    • Store firearm outside of the home with a friend or family

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Takeaways

  • High levels of suicidal ideation among youth
  • Societal and community level factors contribute to suicide risk
  • High school aged females are at highest risk for nonfatal suicide injury
  • Transition aged males are at highest risk for suicide death
  • Limiting access to lethal means like firearms can save lives

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Contact Information

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Ari Davis

ACPHD Violence Prevention Epidemiologist

Ari.Davis@acgov.org

Noa Katz

ACPHD Program Specialist, Office of Violence Prevention

Noa.Katz@acgov.org

Kristen Clopton

ACPHD Violence Prevention Program Manager

Kristen.Clopton@acgov.org

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