Introduction to special issue on suicide, mental health, and youth development.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. In early September 2010, when the Journal of Homosexuality's editorial staff received a submission of a comprehensive review of research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) suicide risk that was generated by an expert consensus panel, we decided to feature this document in a special issue by packaging it with articles on mental health. We shifted through the submissions and found a concentration of articles related to LGBT/sexual minority youth mental health and began to prepare the introduction for this special issue. During that time, several events made the national news, highlighting the timeliness of this special issue: ● On September 9, Billy Lucas, a 15 year old from Greensburg, Indiana, hanged himself after months of bullying at school, including bullies telling him to " go kill himself " because he was gay. hanged himself after months of bullying at school. ● On September 23, 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after peers posted a video of him engaging in same-sex activities in the privacy of his dorm room. ● September 25, Harrison Chase Brown, a 15-year-old gay youth from Colorado took his life. ● On September 29, Asher Brown, a 13 year old who had suffered bullying and physical abuse at his Texas school, shot himself. ● The next day, September 30, Caleb Nolt, age 14, from Indiana took his life. ● On October 1, openly gay college sophomore, Raymond Chase, hanged himself in his dorm room at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island.