Youth Suicide

Every year, 5,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 die by suicide. It's the third leading cause of death for this age group and the sixth leading cause for 5-14 years olds. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the NH Youth Suicide Prevention Assembly (YSPA). We'll look at the causes of teen suicide and what's being done in the Granite State schools, homes and hangouts to prevent teens from dying by suicide in the future. Laura's guests are Ken Norton, Special Projects Director for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in New Hampshire who's involved in developing a state plan for youth suicide prevention in the Granite State. Robert Racusin, A psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry for Dartmouth Medical School who also has worked as a school psychiatrist and Michael Whitman, a member of the New Hampshire Youth Suicide Prevention Association. Michael's son died by suicide in 1994 at the age of 23.