Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to discuss the epidemic of suicide--a growing crisis that has devastated millions of families across our…”

“I rise today to discuss the epidemic of suicide--a growing crisis that has devastated millions of families across our Nation. Over the past 8 years, the rate of deaths by suicide in our country has tripled. Let me repeat that. It has tripled, and the problem is particularly severe among young adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control, for youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is now the third leading cause of death. In other words, more of America's youth die each year from suicide than cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. This crisis shows no signs of abating. Consider that each day in our Nation, there are an average of over 5,400 suicide attempts by young people in grades 7 to 12. In my home State of Utah, the statistics are particularly alarming. Every 14 hours, a Utahn commits suicide, resulting in an average of 630 deaths each year. The problem is so acute that Utah now has the fifth highest suicide rate in the Nation. This troubling trend is particularly pronounced among Utah's youth. Even though Utahns from ages 10 to 17 comprise only 13 percent of the State population, they represent nearly 23 percent of all suicide attempts. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among Utah's teenagers.…”