Suicide among youth with disabilities
Could knowing about the death of a young man with autism promote prevention?
Anthony Tricarico, a young man diagnosed with autism at age 7, took his own life when he was 16 years old.1 In their grief, his parents—Samara and Neal Tricarico—launched efforts to remember their son and to provide support for other parents of children with autism. Here are three examples of the coverage of those efforts.
Published in the Los Angeles Times of 20 November 2025, Corinne Purtill’s reporting about suicide among youth with autism examined the case of Anthony Tricarico and his family. Ms. Purtill linked to lots of sources and cited research in her article, “Autistic kids are at higher risk of suicide. Why don’t their parents and doctors know?.” Lots of her content seems predicated on psychiatry, so don’t expect to learn about special education practices. However, her extensive reporting provided good contextual background information. Here is the lede from her article, “
When Anthony Tricarico was diagnosed at 7 with autism spectrum disorder, his parents, Neal and Samara, were told that he might need extra support at school, so they made sure he got it. When doctors suggested therapies for his speech and motor skills, they sought those out too.
But when their kind, popular, accomplished boy began to experience depression and suicidal ideation as a teenager, no one told them that the same thinking patterns that powered many of Anthony’s achievements might also be amplifying his most harmful thoughts, or that the effort of masking his autism could be hurting his mental health.
None of the people or organizations they contacted for help said Anthony might benefit from therapies or safety plans adapted for autistic people, or even that such things existed. They did not say that he might not show the same warning signs as a non-autistic teenager.
Mr. Tricarico’s father, Neal Tricarico, spoke with hosts of On Boys, Janet Allison and Jennifer L. W. Fink, on 5 December 2024. The title of the (50:00+ min) podcast is “Male Suicide & Mental Health: A Father’s Story of Love, Loss, and Awareness.” Here is the print version of the intro for the podcast (it’s close to the actual content):
More than 39,000 boys and young men die of suicide in the United States each year. The male suicide rate is 4 times that of females’ – and that fact isn’t widely known. Although there’s been a lot of discussion of the youth mental health crisis and suicidal ideation in recent years, few people are talking about the fact that most of those who die of suicide are boys and young men.
Anthony Tricarico was one of them. He was a “beautiful shooting star,” a young entrepreneur who loved snowboarding and bought a Camaro at age 16. Anthony died by suicide earlier this year, at age 16 1/2. From the outside looking in, Anthony had it all: a loving family, lots of friends, great grades, talent, and personality. His death was a shock to the community, as people realized, “If this could happen to Anthony, it could happen to any of us,” said his father, Neal Tricarico .
Mr. Tricarico’s parents established a nonprofit organization called the “EndurANT Movement.” The site’s media page has a list of other coverage of the organization’s presence in the press. The site explained the organization’s mission:
Born from the profound loss of Anthony (“Ant”), the EndurANT Movement creates a safe haven for those navigating grief, transforming pain into purpose through connection, vulnerability, and resilience.
We honor Ant’s legacy by fostering healing and growth through storytelling, community, and post-traumatic transformation—empowering individuals to rediscover meaning after loss.
Resources
Readers of Special Education Today may find the following resources of value:
Telephone and other “hot” or “help” lines2 for
Australia: triple zero (000) or Lifeline on 13 11 14
Portugal: 1411 (also see https://www.sns24.gov.pt/pt/inicio)
South Korea: 1388 (youth) or 1588-9191 (general) (also see 한국생명의전화 | Lifeline Korea)
Taiwan: 標題：Call the 1925 Suicide Prevention Hotline
UK: 0800 068 41 41 or text 88247
US: 988 by phone or text, chat https://chat.988lifeline.org/
NAMI—The National Alliance on Mental Illness, especially the sections on
Suicide among youth
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report about “Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students and Protective Factors — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023”
The Australian government resources at
Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing page on “Mental health, suicide prevention and young people”
Healthdirect page on “Youth suicide”
UK sources
An editorial by Lynsay Ayer and Lisa J. Colpe :”The Key Role of Schools in Youth Suicide Prevention” for the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (17 August 2022)
Tiffany N. Jackson’s article on “Preventing Youth Suicide: Intervention Strategies and Community Resources” for Behavioral Health News
There are lots more. Please add notes and links in the comments.
Footnote
Two Web sites provide lists of crisis or hot lines for locations around Earth: HelpGuide.org (United States, UK, South Africa, New Zealand, Philippines, Ireland, Australia, Canada, India) and “Suicide Stop”