Suicide rates among adolescents (15--19-year-olds) in the United States
are currently higher than ever recorded. The authors examined the
relationship between suicide rates and population changes among
adolescents. They found significant positive correlations between
adolescent suicide rates, changes in the adolescent population, and changes
in the proportion of adolescents in the population of the United States in
1933--1975. In contrast, the suicide rate of an older age group
(65--69-year-olds) was inversely, but not significantly, related to shifts
in that population. These results suggest that the suicide rates for the
adolescent age group can be predicted, a finding which may have important
public health consequences.Abstract Teaser