High Suicide Rates Among Mexican Youth

A recent study conducted in Mexico found that suicide is the second highest cause of death for Mexican youth between the ages of 15 and 19, a rate surpassed only by traffic accidents.

It is estimated that most of the 3,200 suicides annually in Mexico are of people between the ages of 11 and 20. The cities with the highest incidences of suicide are Yucatán, Campeche, and Tabasco. In Tabasco, suicide occurs ten times as often as in Chiapas.

The non-government organisation (NGO) Casa Alianza offers a 24-hour toll-free help line that children and youth in crisis can use anywhere within Mexico to find support and seek help. (The number is ACERCATEL, 01-800-110-10-10). Since the beginning of 2003, Casa Alianza personnel have received 126,133 calls, of which 160 were from young people considering suicide.

Experts point to open communication between parents and children as the single most effective means of preventing suicide.