Figure 1
The Number of Youth Suicides in California Increased From 2009 Through 2018
From 2009 through 2018, the annual number of suicides of youth ages 12 through 19 in California increased from 163 to 188, an increase of 15 percent.
Figure 2
Incidents of Youth Self‑Harm Requiring Medical Attention Increased by 50 Percent From 2009 Through 2018
From 2009 through 2018, the annual number of reported youth self‑harm incidents that led to emergency department visits or hospital stays increased from almost 10,900 to more than 16,300, an increase of 50 percent.
Figure 3
Many of the State’s Rural and Northern Counties Had Higher Rates of Youth Suicide From 2009 Through 2018
A map of California showing the average number of youth suicides per 100,000 youth per year from 2009 through 2018. Although counties with metropolitan areas have the highest total number of youth suicides, our analysis of data from the California Department of Public Health (Public Health) shows that many of the State’s northern rural counties have higher self‑harm rates.
Figure 4
Many of the State’s Rural and Northern Counties Had Higher Rates of Youth Self‑Harm From 2009 Through 2018
A map of California showing the average number of youth self-harm per 100,000 youth per year from 2009 through 2018. Although counties with metropolitan areas have the highest total number of youth suicides, our analysis of data from the California Department of Public Health (Public Health) shows that many of the State’s northern rural counties have higher suicide rates. For example, Sierra County—a northern rural county with a population of less than 10,000—has the highest youth suicide rate in the State, 34 per year per 100,000 persons ages 10 to 19. This is more than nine times the statewide rate. However, some counties with high suicide rates have a relatively low total number of suicides. For example, the three counties with the highest suicide rates are northern and rural counties, which only had seven youth suicides from 2009 through 2018, compared to a total of 1,809 youth suicides statewide.
Figure 5
Incidents of Youth Suicide and Self‑Harm Varied by Gender From 2009 Through 2018
A series of three pie charts showing how incidents of youth suicide and self-harm varied by gender from 2009 through 2018. In addition to varying by urban and rural areas, the rates of suicide and self‑harm vary by gender. Our analysis of Public Health data from 2009 through 2018 found that males ages 12 to 19 years died by suicide at nearly three times the rate of females, as Figure 5 shows. Conversely, females in this same age group committed self‑harm at nearly three times the rate of males. In fact, instances of self‑harm by females increased 64 percent from 2009 to 2018, more than three times the rate of self‑harm by males during the same period.
Figure 6
The Legislature Has Made Efforts to Address Youth Suicide and Self‑Harm
A timeline showing legislative actions from 2004 through 2019 related to addressing youth suicide and self-harm. In 2004, California voters passed Proposition 63, which imposed a one percent tax beginning in 2005 on incomes above $1 million to expand the State's county mental health services. In 2007, The Legislature required the Department of Health Services (Public Health's predecessor), in cooperation with Education, to establish a school health center support program. In 2016, the Legislature required LEAs to adopt a suicide prevention policy addressing the needs of their students in grades 7 to 12 before the beginning of academic year 2017–18. In 2018, the Legislature required Education to identify an online suicide prevention training program and to provide a grant to a county office of education to acquire and disseminate the training on a voluntary basis to LEAs at no cost. Additionally in 2018, the Legislature required LEAs to review their suicide prevention policies at least once every five years and to update them as necessary. Finally, in 2019, the Legislature required LEAs to adopt a suicide prevention policy for students in kindergarten through grade 6 before the beginning of academic year 2020-21.
Figure 7
As of 2019, Few School Health Centers Existed in the State
A map showing the number of school health centers in California by county in 2019. There were 277 school health centers in total in the State.