According to Snohomish County Health District Officer, Dr. Gary Goldbaum, the county is seeing more suicides than ever before, even when increase in population are accounted for.
Statistics reveals 13 teenagers killed themselves last 2015, a number which according to Goldbaum is stunning, the Washington Times reported. That is more than twice the rate of past years, which is recorded between 1 and 6 for every year.
"The fact that you've got all these young people who feel so isolated, who really feel they have no one they can turn to, and that the only resource is to kill themselves to me is just stunning," Goldbaum said.
Health District reported that half of teenagers who committed suicide last year used firearms. The other teens hanged themselves. Some common factors were history of depression, self - harm like cutting, access to firearms and high-achieving students whose academic performance declined.
According to 2014 Healthy Youth Survey, 1 in 5 students in Snohomish County had thought of committing suicide and that sixteen percent had created a suicide strategy and eight percent had tried suicide.
Most of teen suicides happened in the beginning and closing of the academic year.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate increased by 24 percent over 15 years, rising from an average of 10.5 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 13 per 100,000 in 2014.
Dr. Gary Goldbaum said, "It shouldn't happen at all. I don't think there's any other way to look at it than a kid who commits suicide is a real failing of society."
Mental Health specialists say that it is time to stop feeling ashamed or scared to talk about suicide, depression and anxiety. Teenagers in the county are already killing themselves. It is an issue that will not go away if it is just left hanging about in the dark.
