Last Updated: December 2015

Author: Vermont Department of Health

The question on youth suicide attempt and self harm was included in the 2009 YRBS, but not the 2011 or 2013 series. The data from the 2015 survey will be competed and available in early 2016.

The proportion of adolescents with suicide attempts severe enough to require medical attention is low and unchanged. This question was not asked on the 2013 YRBS and therefore no new data is available.

This indicator is part of Healthy Vermonters 2020 (the State Health Assessment) that documents the health status of Vermonters at the start of the decade and the population health indicators and goals that will guide the work of public health through 2020. Click here for more information.

This indicator is also part of the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), a five-year plan that prioritizes broad Healthy Vermonters 2020 goals: reducing prevalence of chronic disease, reducing prevalence of substance abuse and mental illness, and improving childhood immunizations. The SHIP is a subset of HV2020 and details strategies and planned interventions. Click here for more information.

Act 186 was passed by the Vermont Legislature in 2014 to quantify how well State government is working to achieve the population-level outcomes the Legislature sets for Vermont’s quality of life. It will assist the Legislature in determining how best to invest taxpayer dollars. The Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Human Services report this information annually. Click here for more information.

• Vermont Department of Health
• Vermont Department of Mental Health
• School health and mental health professionals
• Community faith leaders
• Community primary clinical care providers
• Center for Health and Learning
• University of Vermont / Vermont Child Health Improvement Program

A community based approached to identifying and assisting youth with self harm behaviors and suicide ideation is most effective. Professionals from schools, faith communities, primary care clinicians, and local mental health organizations coordinate to identify and support youth who are undergoing emotional crises or long term mental health issues.

Early identification of these youth, some but not all who may go on to significant suicide attempts, is a major strategy for supporting them with effective counseling and therapies.

Data is updated as it becomes available and timing may vary by data source. For more information about this indicator, click here.

Note that prior to 2013, statewide estimates were generated by weighting responses from a representative sample of schools. In 2013, the methodology was changed and all student responses were used in creating statewide estimates, allowing for more accurate reporting. 2011 data were recalculated in the same way as 2013 data in order to improve comparisons. As a result, 2011 YRBS estimates that were published online after 02/04/2015 may be slightly different compared to those published previously.