Teens and Suicide

Research shows that the risk of suicide decreases by 20% for each year that a person delays homosexual or bisexual self-labeling. Suicide attempts were not explained by experiences with discrimination, violence, loss of friendship, or current personal attitudes towards homosexuality. (Source: Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth by Remafedi, Farrow, and Deisher, in Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics 87: 869-875 June 1991.) Therefore, in order to reduce suicide risks, schools should not encourage teens to self-identify as “gay” during adolescence before they have matured. Sexual attractions are fluid and do not take on permanence until early adulthood. Rather than affirming teenagers as “gay” through self-labeling, educators should affirm them as people worthy of respect and encourage teens to wait until adulthood to make choices about their sexuality.

If teens are encouraged to believe that they are permanently “gay” before they have had a chance to reach adulthood, their life choices are severely restricted and will result in depression.