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IDAHO SUICIDE FACTS AND STATISTICS


Suicide in Idaho Fact Sheet

For the latest data available on suicide in Idaho, including statistics broken out by region and county, please download the Suicide in Idaho Fact Sheet. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this document, a free download from Adobe.com. To download the software, click here and follow the instructions on the screen.
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Important Facts

  • In 2003 (the most recent year available), Idaho had the 6th highest suicide rate in the nation; 51% higher than the national average.
  • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in Idaho.
  • In 2004, 239 Idahoans completed suicide.
  • 63% of Idaho suicides involve a firearm; the national average is 54%.
  • In 2004, 80% of suicides in Idaho were by men.
    Memorial candle
  • 17.8% of Idaho youth attending traditional high schools reported seriously considering suicide in 2003. 8.6% reported making at least one attempt.
  • In 2000, the suicides of those under 25 years of age in Idaho resulted in estimated direct costs of $3.77 million, and lost earnings of $81 million.
  • Over 30,000 Americans die by suicide each year; 1 person every 17 minutes.
  • Suicides consistently outnumber homicides 3 to 2.
  • One million people die by suicide each year worldwide.

Groups at Highest Risk in Idaho

The rate of suicide completion in Idaho is: 17.2 per 100,000 persons (2004)

  • For Native American young men, age 15-17 the rate is 115.8, and for age 18-24 it is 88.1 (1992-2001)
  • For elderly males, 75 years and over the rate is 81.2 (1999-2001)
  • For working age males, age 18-64 the rate is 25.8 (1999-2001)
  • For teenaged males, age 15-17 the rate is 22.5 (1999-2001)

Results of the Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey

The "2003 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS): A Healthy Look at Idaho Youth" is based on a survey of 1,731 9th through 12th-graders in 36 public high schools across the state in the spring of 2003.

One section of the YRBS reports on Unintentional and Intentional Injuries. It states:
"Suicide is the second leading cause of injury related deaths among youth aged 10 to 18 in Idaho. The leading cause of death is unintentional injury. On the national level, the suicide rate for persons aged 15 to 24 has tripled since 1950. In 2001, 49 Idahoan between the ages of 5 and 24 completed suicide. According to results of the 2003 YRBS, 18% of all high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year and 15% said they made a plan for how they would attempt suicide. Among all Idaho students, 9% report having actually attempted suicide during the previous year. Suicide ideation appears to occur more often among high school students."

  • One in four high school students reported that in the previous 12 months they felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more that they stopped doing some usual activities.
  • 9th grade females (23%) were nearly twice as likely as 9th grade males (13%) to have seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months.
  • During the previous year 15% of high school students reported having actually made a plan about how they would attempt suicide.
  • 11% of high school females and 6% of high school males have attempted suicide one or more times during the previous 12 months.

For the latest data on suicide in Idaho, including more statistics on the 2003 Idaho Youth Risk Behavior Survey, download the Suicide in Idaho Fact Sheet.