Self-destructiveness among the young: an epidemiological study of violent deaths.

The violent death rate (suicide, homicide, and accidents) among the young in the United States has recently increased and is currently higher than ever recorded; by contrast, the violent death rate for the total population decreased over the century. This increase among the young is due to the doubling of homicide rates and the tripling of suicide rates over the past 15 and 20 years, respectively. The risk of dying a violent death is greater for 20-24 year-olds than for 15-19 year-olds, and greater for males than for females; nonwhite rates are currently higher than white rates among 20-24 year-olds, whereas the rates are similar for 15-19 year-olds. Suicide, homicide, and accidents may all represent suicidal tendencies and should be included in any comprehensive attempt to understand the epidemiology of self-destructiveness.