Teen Suicide Statistics
- Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24 in the United States.
- Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth ages 18-22.
- Suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14.
- There is ONE suicide every 90 minutes.
- SEVEN young people attempt suicide every hour.
- EACH DAY in our nation, there is an average of over 5,240 suicide attempts by young people grades, 7-12.
- FOUR out of FIVE teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs.
- Suicide is PREVENTABLE.
What We Do
Prevention begins with education and one of our goals is to offer educational programs and promote advocacy in public policy for raising suicide awareness and prevention in helping those at risk nationwide.
In order to achieve this, community-based programs have been implemented in the middle school and high school level. These groups are led by experts in the field. Teens and young adults will have a platform to share and talk about their feelings in a comfortable and safe environment. Some topics of discussion include the signs of bullying, cyber-bullying and how you can get help.
To help show support, Danny’s Dream Foundation has established an endowment to fund scholarships to honor Danny’s memory and to keep his legacy alive for those young people who exhibit outstanding kindness and exemplary character. Every spring since the foundations inception two qualified students have received these awards so far.
A mentorship program has been established for easy access between younger students and trained older students using the cell phone text platform.This allows students instant access to help and support as needed, and providing lasting friendships in and out of the school environment.
Additional organizations DDF works with who share the same mission include Pride for Youth, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Mental Health Association and The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF), among others.
Our Impact
In October 2016, Jacqueline Shelly and her team raised $10,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Jacqueline along with more than sixty friends and family members participated in the Long Island Out of the Darkness Community Walk in memory of her son, Danny, that was held at Jones Beach State Park. The goal of the walk was to help raise awareness and funds for the AFSP. Their team surpassed any of the other teams that took part in the walk. According to the AFSP, walkers and donors who get involved are making a difference helping the organization reach their goal to reduce the annual suicide rate 20% by 2025.
