What would you prefer the second-leading cause of death be for young people?
I am being serious. Some things have to be the top causes of death for young people and the list definitionally can’t include the aspirational “old age.”
This seems like an odd question. Obviously we should prefer accidental death among young people vs. that which is self-inflicted, while hoping that the overall number of deaths diminishes, regardless of circumstance. But I don’t think a spike in youth suicide is something we should hand waive away in any case.
We can have get accidental death up to second place by banning railings, air bags, helmets, and tire tread patterns.
In other words, was there really a spike in youth suicide or did it just climb in rank because we reduced other causes of death? Something must be first, something must be second, and so on.
The only argument you could really make is that suicide rates have been rising across the US since 1999, up in most states and up by 30% in half of all states, making youth suicide of a part with the broader trend. But I don’t think this is any less disheartening.
