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Study: 40% of teens try to end their lives by suicide
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Suicidal thoughts and behavior may begin at a younger age than previously thought. While about one in nine children will attempt suicide before they graduate from high school, a new study shows that a significant proportion of children make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school.
A study published in the journal Adolescent Health found that nearly 40 percent of children had attempted suicide, with their first attempt occurring in early middle school.
The researchers also found that suicide attempts in childhood and adolescence were associated with high levels of depression at the time of the attempt.
This study suggests that mental health programs for children and adolescents need to begin in primary and secondary schools.
Adolescence is the beginning of a psychological struggle with oneself, the first experience of drug use, alcohol, sexual relations and self-identification of sexual orientation. At the same time, children become more vulnerable and susceptible to depressive disorders.
"This is a time when children are preparing to be more independent from their parents or caregivers, but they lack the experience to do so," says study author James Mazza, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington in the US. "And when crises arise, the support of peer friends who also lack life experience is ineffective."
For the current study, Mazza and her colleagues asked 883 18- to 19-year-olds to report their suicide attempts. Seventy-eight respondents, or nearly 9 percent, said they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives.
Suicide attempts increase sharply at age 12 (the sixth-grade period), with a peak in eighth or ninth grade. Of the 39 respondents who reported multiple suicide attempts, their first attempt was significantly earlier - at age 9 - than those who made one attempt.
Mazza compared the teenagers' memories of their suicide attempts with past episodes of depression.
Adolescents who reported attempting suicide had higher rates of depression than their peers who did not attempt suicide.
"This study suggests that children are able to tell us about their depression themselves. We can rely on self-reports to help identify youth who are at risk for suicide due to ongoing mental health problems," said Mazza.