Recently, I wrote a paper about adolescent suicide as an assignment for a counseling class. While researching this topic, I came across some startling statistics that I feel like I need to share. First, did you know that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States?^[1] In adolescents (15-24), suicide is the third leading cause of death^[2]! That means that, after accidents and murder, suicide kills more of our young people than any other factor.^[2] This blows my mind! Still crazier, this rate skyrockets for adolescents in the LGBT community, with suicide being the number one cause of death.^[3] In fact, LGBT youths are “two or three times more likely to commit suicide” than there straight peers, typically as a result of “the debilitating effects of growing up in a homophobic society”.^[3]  Some research suggests that upwards of 50% of LGBT adolescents attempt suicide.^[4] I think it obviously points to a larger societal issue when nearly half of any one demographic attempts suicide.  Continue reading →