ABSTRACT
Suicide is a national health epidemic in the United States, responsible for the deaths of approximately 30,000 people annually (Miniño, Arias, Kochanek, Murphy, & Smith, 2002). It is the 11th leading cause of death, surpassing liver disease and hypertension (Miniño et al., 2002). Moreover, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (Miniño et al., 2002), the fourth leading cause of death among adults age 25 to 44, and the sixth leading cause of death among children age 5 to 14 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2002). Between 1960 and 1988, the overall national suicide rate increased 17%, and the rate among adolescents increased 200%. Young males in the United States have the highest suicide rate in the world (Blumenthal, 1990). Furthermore, rates among the elderly have sharply increased over the past half-century (Buda & Tsuang, 1990).
