ABSTRACT
Suicide in America is a common occurrence; in fact, it is listed as the eighth leading cause of death. Conservative epidemiological figures estimate that approximately 30,000 persons commit suicide annually. Mcintosh (1991) has calculated that the annual rate is 12.8 per 100,000, which means that there are 85 suicides per day or, stated in another way, one every 17 minutes. The actual number is probably much greater because of a number factors, including concealment by significant others, intentional misclassification, and variability in classificatory methods (Mcintosh, 1991). More than a quarter of these suicides are committed by persons 24 years of age or younger (Ness & Pfeffer, 1990). As a result, large numbers of individuals are affected by and grieve the event. Mcintosh (1991) estimates this figure to be in excess of 3,000,000. In addition, there are many more attempted suicides than completed suicides.
