27. Suicide

Indicator: Youth Suicide Rate

Progress: 6.3 per 100,000 Travis County youth between ages 15 and 24 committed suicide in 2012

Significance of Indicator: According to the American Psychological Association, citing Centers for Disease Control data, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people between 15 and 24, and one in five U.S. teens seriously consider suicide each year.

what the data tell us

Travis County’s youth suicide rate has typically fluctuated around the rates for the state and nation as a whole. However, from 2010 to 2012, the rate fell and is below the rate for the state and the nation. In 2012, Travis County’s age-adjusted suicide rate, among 15 to 24 year-olds, was 6.3 per 100,000, representing 10 completed suicides, lower than the rate for Texas (11.2 per 100,000) and the United States (10.9 per 100,000). This rate represents a decrease from 2007, when the rate was 11.6 per 100,000.

Click on this graph to download an excel spreadsheet with expanded information

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed youth suicides (ages 15 to 24)

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, National rate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention

Data Considerations: The reported rate is age-adjusted to account for differences in age distributions. Age adjustments are made by the Department of State Health Services based on the 2000 population. More information on age adjustment is available from the Centers for Disease Control here. Data before 1999 should not be compared to subsequent years, due to changes in the International Classification of Diseases that occurred at this time. Due to margins of error, changes shown on graph may not represent statistically significant differences.

Youth Suicide Rates, Texas, by Race & Ethnicity

In the state of Texas, youth identified as White are more likely to complete suicide than youth of other races and ethnicities. Youth identified as a race or ethnicity other than Black, Hispanic, or White also appear to have had a higher risk of suicide in certain years. In 2012, there were 15.3 suicides per White youth between the ages of 15 and 24, compared to 9.0 per 1,000 among Black youth, 8.9 per 1,000 among Hispanic youth, and 7.4 per 1,000 among youth of other races and ethnicities.

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed youth suicides (ages 15 to 24), by race and ethnicity, Texas

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.

Data Considerations: The reported rate is age-adjusted to account for differences in age distributions. Age adjustments are made by the Department of State Health Services based on the 2000 population. More information on age adjustment is available from the Centers for Disease Control here. Data before 1999 should not be compared to subsequent years, due to changes in the International Classification of Diseases that occurred at this time. Due to margins of error, changes shown on graph may not represent statistically significant differences.

Youth Suicide Rates, Travis County, by Race & Ethnicity

Due to smaller population sizes, and less frequent occurrences, youth suicide data by race and ethnicity are more limited for Travis County than the state as a whole. In 2012, there were 10.8 suicides deaths per 1,000 youth ages 15 to 24 in Travis County.

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed youth suicides (ages 15 to 24), by race and ethnicity, Travis County

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.

Youth Suicide Rates, Texas, by gender

Males are more likely than females to complete suicide in Texas. In 2012, males accounted for 83% of completed suicides among youth between 15 and 24 in Texas. The youth suicide rate was 18 per 1,000 males 15 to 24, compared to 3.9 per 1,000 females ages 15 to 24 in 2012. The Centers for Disease Control notes that, nationwide, although males are more likely to complete suicide than females, females are more likely than males to attempt suicide.

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed youth suicides (ages 15 to 24), by gender, Texas

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.

Youth Suicide Rates, Travis County, by Gender

Due to smaller population sizes, and less frequent occurrences, youth suicide data by gender are more limited for Travis County than the state as a whole. Males make up a greater share of youth who complete suicide than females in Travis County. In 2012, made up 70% of youth between 15 and 24 who completed suicide in Travis County. The Centers for Disease Control notes that, nationwide, although males are more likely to complete suicide than females, females are more likely than males to attempt suicide.

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed youth suicides (ages 15 to 24), by gender, Travis County

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.

The story behind the indicator

Travis County’s youth suicide rate has typically fluctuated around the rates for the state and nation as a whole. However, from 2010 to 2012, the rate fell and is below the rate for the state and the nation. For the state as a whole, youth suicide is more common among youth identifying as White, compared to other races and ethnicities. Males are more likely to complete suicide than females, although the Centers for Disease Control notes that females are more likely than males to attempt suicide. According to Mental Health America, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year olds nationwide. According to 2013 data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 16.7% of public and private high school students in Texas seriously considered attempting suicide and 10.1% actually attempted suicide one or more times in the year before they completed the survey.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides a list of warning signs that may indicate that someone is at-risk for suicide. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-272-TALK (8255). Help for individuals who are deaf , hard of hearing, or use a TTY is available at 1-800-799-4TTY (4889). Locally, Austin Travis County Integral Care’s crisis hotline provides 24/7 counseling for psychiatric crises: 512-472-HELP (4357). The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Youth Suicide Hotline provides services at 1-866-4U-TREVOR.

some local efforts to improve this indicator

The Austin/Travis County Suicide Prevention Coalition is group of local volunteers working to collaboratively prevent suicide. The group is part of the Texas Suicide Prevention Council, affiliated with Mental Health America of Texas.
Austin ISD’s Child Study System provides an integrated electronic system utilized by Learning Support Services to provide a continuum of support for students to help meet their behavior, academic, attendance, and speech/language needs. The school district also provides Campus-Based Counseling Referral Centers, in collaboration with Seton Healthcare and Austin Travis County Integral Care. After an initial pilot at Crockett High School in 2012, the CBRCs have expanded to 13 AISD campuses. These centers provide mental health services and supports for students, as well as their families. The district has also developed a Campus Reference Guide for Critical Incidence to assist staff in addressing attempted or completed suicides.
The Shared Psychiatric Services program provides free or low-cost mental health services to youth between the ages of 4 and 24 who are enrolled in a LifeWorks, Communities in Schools, or SafePlace program.
Area universities provide a number of suicide prevention resources for faculty, staff, and students. Be That One works to prevent suicide on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin by raising awareness of the issue of campus suicides and providing resources for faculty, staff, and students. St. Edward’s University’s Health and Counseling Center provides counseling services for students. Huston Tillotson University’s Counseling and Consultation Services helps students manage the challenges of college life. Concordia University provides free counseling services for their students. Texas State University offers free counseling services for currently-enrolled students and Question, Persuade, Refer training for faculty and staff members.
The Children and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership, a local collaboration of mental health professionals, provides links to a number of resources on their website.
The local Central Texas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention conducts a number of events each year to raise awareness of suicide prevention.
During the 84th Legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, a bill, known as the Jason Flatt Act, that requires all public school teachers in Texas to undertake suicide prevention training.

Contributors for this indicator

The Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership, especially the subcommittee for developing indicators: Barbara Ball, SafePlace, and Kris Downing, Communities in Schools of Central Texas.

Ready by 21 (RB21) and the RB21 logo are registered trademarks of the Forum for Youth Investment. The Central Texas RB21 Coalition is a member of the Forum’s RB21 Learning Network. The Central Texas RB21 online dashboard is currently sponsored by Workforce Solutions — Capital Area Workforce Board, the Community Advancement Network (CAN) and the City of Austin, with content and data contributions from over 20 local youth-serving coalitions.