Fatal and nonfatal suicide attempts among adolescents--Oregon, 1988-1993.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15-19 years in the United States and second among adolescents in Oregon. During 1959-1961 and during 1990-1992, the rate of suicide in Oregon increased sixfold among 15-19-year-olds. During 1988-1991, the suicide rate for adolescents in Oregon (15.5 deaths per 100,000) was 39.6% higher than the U.S. rate (11.1). Because of the magnitude of this problem, in 1987 the state legislature in Oregon mandated that hospitals treating a child aged < or = 17 years for injuries resulting from a suicide attempt report the attempt to the State Health Division, Oregon Department of Human Resources, and that the patient be referred for counseling; the Oregon Adolescent Suicide Attempt Data System (ASADS) was established in 1988. This report presents an analysis of data for adolescents aged < or = 17 years from ASADS during 1988-1993.