Erikson's Theory Of Teenage Suicide

In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.

Suicide is a prevalent cause of death among America's youth today. Every day more than 1000 teenagers will think about suicide and eighteen will be successful in committing it. It is an ever-growing problem that can be described as unnecessary and uncalled for. Knowledge and understanding are key factors to preventing teenage suicide. The problem will usually originate from a period of depression, either as a medical concern, or simply because of a saddened

The biggest aspect that is determined to be behind these teenage suicides is the feeling of being socially rejected in some way. These individuals may consider themselves outliers to society. Struggling to find in-groups and primary groups in which they can relate to. The constant feeling of rejection and hurt from being neglected by peers and family is what makes these individuals

Discovering one’s identity, struggling to understand one’s conventionally appropriate gender role, accepting one’s body image, gaining independence from parents, maintaining responsible sexual relationships along with enduring vehement hormones, establishing values relating to marriage and parenthood, and simultaneously managing academic goals, extracurricular activities, and occupational preparations are all psychological and social demands placed on the adolescent. These demands, along with additional factors, such as bullying, drug use/domestic substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce of parents, rape/sexual assault, loss of a loved one, heartbreak, low socioeconomic status, health problems, race, ethnicity, struggles with self-identification, and other traumatic experiences can all increase one’s likelihood to commit suicide.

Suicides and attempted suicides have also increased among adolescents at an alarming rate in recent decades. Research findings suggest that the suicidal adolescent has usually had, since childhood, a history of stress and personal problems. Attempts to resolve these problems such as running away from home or an increasing social isolation, withdrawal and acting out, may precipitate an attempted suicide. Early professional help is often needed to prevent this drastic action. Sadly, when the signs are clear it is usually too late.

Nurses who are practicing in public health, psychiatric units, schools, clinics, and hospitals can bring differences by creating awareness about the magnitude of the suicide problem, its risk factors, and preventive strategies. They can act as a bridge or liaisons between the community and available resources. The nursing profession always gives priority to prevention and promotion of health. Instead of watching and waiting for the signs and symptoms to exhibit themselves, nurses can take part in equipping teens and their parents with preventive skills to reduce the risk of suicide attempts (King & Vidourek, 2012). The nurses’ involvement in this issue increases the patient outcome. Early intervention of suicide is successful in lowering the risk factors among teens. It helps to promote and maintain their health from youth to adulthood without complications. Nursing profession can be at the forefront by promoting awareness, preventing risk factors, equipping teens with coping skills, and encouraging them to seek professional help. Increasing protective factors for teens can result in effective patient outcomes by reducing suicide ideations and

There is too much teen suicide in the United States. Many teens who are depressed have mental issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. Often, teens who have these issues feel as if they don’t belong. They don’t feel like talking about certain things going on in their life. Issues regarding sexuality, bullying, and abuse make children feel hopeless and unwanted. They feel alone. The suicide rate has gone up dramatically. There are approximately 100,000 suicides per year and 10,000 to 20,000 of them being from ages 14 to 24. Suicide is also the 3rd leading cause of death for teens.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the adolescent population in this country and the number of occurrences continues to rise at a dramatic rate. For every teen that completes a suicide, 100 make an attempt, making suicide a paramount public health issue that needs to be addressed. Statistics show that since 2009, the rates of attempted and completed suicide, in this age group continue to steadily increase (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2015; Taliaferro, Oberstar, & Wagman-Borowsky, 2012).

Suicide has become a big issue in today's generation, especially for teens. Suicide is now known as the third leading cause of death among youth all around the world between 10 and 19 years of age. In the article, Preventing youth suicide-tips for parents and educators, the author states, “Teens are more prone to suicide because of the many difficult risks they may face today”, such as many teens face bullying in their schools, self-esteem problems, family dysfunction, drug addictions or it can be the simple fact that they are not mentally stable or have a mental illness like depression. However, suicide is preventable. Many teens who may be contemplating suicide frequently give signs, or approach in a different behavior. Some of these signs may include, suicidal threats, prior suicidal behavior, self harm acts, or change in behavior. It is crucial that parents, educators, and friends or family members notice these signs before the teen makes an effort to conduct an irreversible act. Many schools are taking role in suicide

For some teens suicide is triggered by the divorce of their parents, formation of a new family with stepparents or stepsiblings, or moving to a new community. Some of the signs of suicide include the following: change in eating and sleeping habits, withdraw from friends, family, and regular activities, violent actions, running away, drug or alcohol use, gives verbal hints: I won’t be a problem for long, etc. Therefore, these teens seem to think that suicide appears to be the solution to these problems and feelings. Individuals need to seek qualified mental health if you ever hear the words, “I want to kill myself.” As a result, seeking assistance for suicide can be beneficial and preventable. Suicidal teenagers need to decipher that people are concerned about the decisions running through their minds (“Teen

Teenagers all around the world are having millions of suicidal thought running through their minds. Even if they have a happy childhood when they grow up and become adolescents, they can become suicidal.(Berman , 2006). There are several different factors that contribute to make a teenager think suicide is the only solution. Depression, bullying, lack of parent's attention are just some of many causes that lead to a teenager's suicide. In the United States suicide is the third cause of death in teenagers between 15-24 years old (Gould, 2004). Studies have shown that having a gun in the house is a big contributor to suicide. Many other causes can involve psychological issues like depression, a bipolar

The first thing we need to do is to be well informed about the “Silent Epidemic” of youth suicide.Suicide is Preventable.” This is what everyone should be looking out for if you have a friend or family member gives out any of these signs or concerns. Mostly four out of five completed suicides give clear warning signs of their intentions. This means that, if we learn the signs and know how to respond, we have an opportunity to assist 80% of those teens who are contemplating suicide.

Day to day, teens suffer from peer pressure, problem from home, and stress from academics. Despise their status in the environment, majority of high school students refrain from acknowledging the presence of their reality. The problem in most situations in that students feel shut in, trapped in a never ending misery. How do they cope? What are their ways of dealing? Most students live in denial. Others have friends to confide in. For the devastating part, most students are not as open to these ideas and it leaves them with this alternative: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause in teens the ages 14 to 19 within rural underserved areas. Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared with peers or even adults in the pursuit of receiving help or support (Pisani, 2012). Because a student spends most of their day at school, it is ideal for schools to provide realistic opportunities and school-based programs to assist with the suicide among the youth. The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program designed four 50 minute session or each high school student. This presented information in regards to factual information about depression, suicidal warning signs, suicidal risk factors and myths associated with suicide (King, 2010). The program provide coping strategies for everyday life, referral sources if feeling suicidal, and how to recognize

Teen suicide is something that is endless, it will never stop but if everyone was educated on it, it could help prevent deaths. I think with people provided with statistics and further information can help avoid adolescent suicide attempts. I think most teen suicide cases could be prevent if we knew the signs to look for and the ways to stop it. I believe parents would feel safer if they knew knowledge on the issue and how to handle it. The intended audiences for this essay is parents or friends of suicidal teens. This essay is important because, as mentioned earlier, we need to be educated on suicide to end tons of tragedies. It is also important to be aware of the warning signs to help prevent. This essay is relevant because teen suicide is a war that happens daily, and will continue to happen, until we take control of the situation and do something to stop it. If family members were informed of the cause and symptoms leading up to the attempt of suicide, then there is less likely that teenagers would try and commit

Today’s teenagers are faced with the ever changing world around them and the biological changes of their bodies. Many teens are also faced with depression. Approximately half of teenagers with untreated depression may attempt suicide, which remains the third leading cause of death in this age group. (Bostic). This depression affects their school, family lives, and robs them of their self image. Depression affects many teens and often goes by unnoticed and untreated.