Indiana lawmakers plan to consider measures in the new year aimed at reducing the number of youth suicides in the state.
The effort comes as statistics from the Indiana Department of Public Health show that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 23. The leading cause is accidents.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that 119 Indiana teenagers and young adults and nine children between the ages of five and 14 killed themselves in 2014, the most recent year with complete data available.
Logansport Republican state Sen. Randy Head's proposal is set to be filed at the Indiana Statehouse in January. It calls for incentives to attract more behavioral health professionals to Indiana and the creation of a state suicide prevention coordinator.