Suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. children and youth ages 10 through 24, claiming an average of 5,390 lives per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS Leading Cause of Death, Ages 10–24, 2011–2015). The CDC’s 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) found that 17.7 percent of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide within the past year and 8.6 percent had attempted suicide within the past year.
This guide divides selected resources into seven main sections: (1) Organizations, (2) Policy and Legislation, (3) Evidence-Based Practices, (4) Program Planning, (5) Campaigns, (6) Data and Research, and (7) Resources and Publications. There are subsections on (1) Bullying; (2) Family; (3) Electronic, Social, and Mass Media; (4) Mental Health; (5) Schools; (6) Substance Use; (7) Self-Harm; (8) LGBTQ Youth; (9) American Indian/Alaska Native Youth; and (10) Rural Youth. Each topic-specific section contains organizations, webpages, evidence-based practices, workshops, toolkits, reports, fact sheets, archived webinars, and journal articles, which appear in that order.