It's often said that young people consider themselves invincible. That's why they engage in unhealthy behaviors and take unreasonable risks. They are so far removed from death, so disengaged from the concept of their own mortality, that they simply assume they will be OK no matter what.
That is the case with most young people, but not all. Unfortunately, there are young people in Kansas who are intensely focused on their own deaths; 62 of those young people between the ages of 15 and 24 committed suicide last year.
That feeling of invincibility that leads young people to ignore danger probably is a factor in many deaths in the 15-24 age group. Those are the 47 percent of the deaths caused by accidents, "unintentional injuries." But the second leading cause of death in that age group, 18 percent, isn't unintentional. It's young people who decide to take their own lives.
These percentages are taken from 1998 figures and are recorded in the first report of its kind from the state's Center for Health and Environmental Statistics. The 1998 figures show a 32 percent increase in suicides for people 15-24 years old since 1989, when 47 suicides were reported.
The numbers, fortunately, are relatively small. An increase of 32 percent represents 15 people. But it still is troubling to think that in a single year 62 Kansas young people were so distraught or disturbed that committing suicide seemed preferable to continuing their lives.
In 1998, 29 people ages 20-24 committed suicide. To be sure, people in that age group face many adult problems with families, relationships, jobs and other stresses. But most of their lives are still before them. Perhaps more disturbing, however, is that the number was even higher in the lower end of the statistical category. Thirty-three teens, ages 15 to 19 committed suicide in 1998.
It's easy to be shocked and concerned by these figures, it's a bit harder to know what to do about them. An official at Lawrence's Headquarters Counseling Center offered some advice. The key is to get the young person to talk about what's bothering him or her, he said. Whatever it is may seem less serious or insurmountable if the person can discuss it with someone else. Maybe there's another way to deal with it than the ultimate action of suicide.
It may not always be easy to tell which young people are considering suicide, so the best policy may be to try to make sure every young person you have contact with has someone to talk to about whatever is on his or her mind. The problems may be small or large, but they'll probably be easier to handle if someone can talk about them.
The person who lends an ear will at least make a friend, and they might make the difference between life and death for a troubled youth.
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