FAIRBANKS — A recent survey found thousands of Alaska teens each year take some action they consider to be a suicide attempt. According to the Kids Count Alaska 2009-10 data book, 8.5 percent of teenage students in the state reported trying to kill themselves during the year. That statistic comes from a Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in which randomly selected high schools participate. High school students remain anonymous on paper as they answer questions, including: “During the last 12 months, how many times did you actually attempt suicide?” About one in 12 high schoolers answered once or more. However, only a tiny percentage of these students died. If Alaska had 100,000 high school-aged students (it actually has about 40,000), about 29 would commit suicide annually, based on the most recent five-year average used to compare the state to others. That’s a suicide rate among high-schoolers of about 0.03 percent, a tiny number compared the 8.5 percent who reported to surveyors they had tried. Part of the disparity between the percentage of teens who report attempts and the percentage of students who die arises because the teens have a broad view of what is considered an attempt, according to experts. “That (8.5 percent) number is based on someone’s definition of attempt, and we don’t know what that definition is,” said Paul Beals, the clinical supervisor and counselor at Fairbanks Counseling and Adoption. “Someone picks up a loaded gun and looks at it. Maybe they put the gun to their head. It’s hard not to consider that a suicide attempt because you don’t get to get any closer than that.” In Alaska in 2009, 1,300 students from 43 schools participated in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The 8.5 percent attempted suicide rate among Alaska participants compared to 6.3 percent in similar surveys nationwide. Beyond the youth survey, one of the only other indicators of attempted suicide numbers in Alaska comes from hospitalizations. However, only hospitalizations lasting at least 24 hours are counted as non-fatal suicide attempts in data released from the Alaska Trauma Registry. That misses many attempts because not all teens who attempt suicide are hospitalized for 24 hours, and not all hospitalizations from self-injury are counted as attempted suicides by the registry, according to experts. “The majority of students who attempt suicide don’t receive help,” said James Gallanos, program coordinator with the Alaska Division of Behavioral Health. Still, Alaska’s young adults ages 15-24, from 2002 to 2006, had the highest rate of hospitalizations after attempted suicides in the nation, according to the registry. These numbers are real people for Beals, with Fairbanks Counseling and Adoption, who counsels kids and adults in Fairbanks. Beals said 90 percent of his clients have attempted suicide or are having suicidal ideas. He said the best way to approach the topic is to be straightforward rather than tiptoe around the issue. “You can ask somebody if they’re going to hurt themselves and they can honestly say ‘no,’” he said. “You asked the wrong question.” Beals said many people aren’t trying to hurt themselves but are looking for a way out of their situations. He said many people who attempt suicide “do so not because they want to be dead, it’s because they don’t know how to live differently.” “The way I say it is this: When someone’s life is so out of control that they can’t imagine any way of gaining control, I think it’s normal to think about suicide,” he said. “When that happens, I want them to visualize more red flags than a Chinese parade. It means, ‘I need help.’” Many of his clients are referred to him from the hospital or from other entities. Before they are released from his care, he tries to establish a safety plan with them. “We have a responsibility as human beings to take action,” he said. When someone considers suicide, “the clock stops. I don’t care what else is going on. We’re going to take care of this.” Beals suggests people study the signs that signal suicidal thoughts, and do something to stop them. Teachers tell students to talk to an adult when a friend shows those signs. Beals has started a program called Gatekeepers Suicide Prevention Training for people who have an interest in learning how to recognize and respond to people with suicidal intentions. Gatekeepers meet periodically when there is a need for training. To be a part of the training, call Fairbanks Counseling and Adoption at 456-4729 and ask for Paul Beals or Anna Dale. Teenage attempted suicide • 12 percent of teenage girls report having attempted suicide, compared to 5 percent of boys, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. • Among teens who die by suicide, 75.6 percent are boys and 24.4 percent are girls, according to the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. • Boys tend to use methods like guns, hanging and jumps from high buildings, whereas girls attempt to overdose on pills or cut themselves, according to kidshealth.org. • Alaska Natives make up almost 70 percent of teenage suicides in the state, according to the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. • 14 percent of Alaska high school students considered suicide in a year’s period, 12 percent made plans, 8.5 percent made attempts and 3 percent said they required treatment from a doctor or nurse for an attempt resulting in an injury, poisoning or overdose, according to Youth Risk Behavior Survey results.