The suicide rate among American kids and teens had been gradually declining since 1990, but the numbers suddenly shot up an alarming 8% in 2003–2004 — the biggest 1-year rise in 15 years. Now, suicide is the third leading cause of death among preteens, teens, and young adults
According to a disturbing new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of 10- to 24-year-olds killing themselves has reached staggering and disturbing proportions.

From 2003–2004, the suicide rate increased:
76% for 10- to 14-year-old girls
32% for 15- to 19-year-old girls
9% for 15- to 19-year-old boys

And how kids are committing suicide has dramatically changed, too. Whereas more than half used guns to attempt suicide in 1990, the more accessible methods of hanging and suffocation were the most common in 2004. In fact, from 2003 to 2004, suicide rates from hanging or suffocation skyrocketed nearly 120% among 10- to 14-year-old girls and 44% among 15- to 19-year-old girls.

Also in 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started requiring drug companies to put "black-box" warning labels on all antidepressants, cautioning parents about the possibly increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions among kids and teens taking the medications.

Since then, antidepressant prescriptions have gone down. Now, some health officials are wondering if the black-box warnings are contributing to the dramatic spike in preteen and teen suicides because some children aren't getting the help they need.

Most people who attempt suicide do have depression, which often makes them focus mostly on their failures and disappointments, emphasizing the negative side of their situations and downplaying their own capabilities or worth. Depressed people often don't realize that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. They may feel like there's no other way out of problems, no other escape from emotional pain, or no other way to communicate their desperate unhappiness.