RD130 - Annual Report on the Virginia Youth Suicide Prevention Plan


Executive Summary:
This report is submitted pursuant to 32.1-73.7 of the Code of Virginia and constitutes the annual report of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on its youth suicide prevention activities.

In Virginia one teenager per week continues to die as a result of suicide. In 2003, the latest year for which data are available, there were 797 suicides in the Commonwealth, or about two suicides per day for an adjusted rate of 10.7 suicides per 100,000 persons. It was the eleventh leading cause of death among all Virginians and the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 19. Almost twice as many youth die from suicide in Virginia as compared to homicides. VDH furnishes the leadership necessary to provide resources and training to allow communities to deliver suicide prevention awareness and response trainings and public awareness activities in order to decrease the number of self-inflicted injuries and deaths due to suicide.