Risk Factors

Another factor which can dramatically increase your teen’s risk of attempting suicide is the presence of a firearm in the home. In fact, nearly 60% of all suicides are committed with a gun, and those who attempt suicide with a gun are statistically more likely to succeed at ending their lives than those who use other means. Your safest bet as a parent is to not have a gun in your home, period. However, if that is not an option, experts recommend keeping the gun unloaded, locked and out of reach of teens and children. Ammunition is recommended to be kept locked in a separate location, and the keys to both the gun and ammunition should be kept hidden. If your teen is suicidal or you suspect your teen is suicidal, do not allow him or her access to a firearm for any reason.

In terms of who uses guns, boys are more likely to use guns than girls. As a result, boys are four times more likely to die from a suicide attempt than girls are, even though girls are three times more likely to attempt suicide than boys. Boys are also more likely to attempt to hang themselves or jump from high places, while girls typically overdose on pills or cut themselves.