HOW do people commit suicide?
Statistics show that since 1955, the teen suicide rate has risen nearly 400 percent. Between 1957 and 1987, the number of completed suicide rose 312 percent for youth between the ages of 15 and 19. And suicide death for children under age 15 are rising dramatically. Estimates indicate more than half of high-school students have thought about suicide. In my years of addressing the subject, I’ve learned that the stigma surrounding suicide is so great that some teens hesitate to ask a question or make an observation in front of their peers. To counteract that dangerous hesitancy, I begin my presentations by telling of my experience with suicide, invite them write any questions they have about suicide on a three-by-five card and return it to me anonymously. I assure them that if I haven’t answered their question in the course of my presentation, I will look at each card and answer all questions before I conclude. Teens respond positively to both the privacy afforded in writing out question
