How To Write An Persuasive Speech About Suicide Among College Students

"More people in the general population die from suicide than homicide in North America. There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living in the United States, and for every suicide, there are between 8 and 25 attempts" (Brent 4203). Based on this research, the great effect of suicide is displayed. According to dictionary.com, suicide can be defined as "the intentional taking of one's own life." Suicide is a major issue for all people, but it most obviously affects those ranging from ten to twenty-four. People need to understand the tremendous ramifications caused from suicide everyday; when people take their lives, others lose their loved ones. Suicide, one of the leading causes of death of numerous people each day, has reached a crisis point for adolescents and young adults, and it needs to be prevented.

The rate of suicide, the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally, increases each year. “More adolescents die each year from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined” (Preventing Teen Suicide, 2016, p.2). These facts show suicide is a serious problem among teens. Last year, teen suicide became the second leading cause of death in the United States confirming the significant increase in teen suicides.

The current suicide rate among 15- to 24-year olds is quite disturbing. Growing in numbers since 2007, the latest toll taken in 2013 on suicide within college settings is 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people (Scelfo, 2015). According to the article Suicide on Campus and the Pressure of Perfection, Pennsylvania State University had six students commit suicide in a 13-month stretch (Scelfo, 2015). Suicide within college settings are usually linked with severe depression. As mentioned by Kevin Breel in the Confessions of a Depressed Comic Ted Talk, depression is not sadness, real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right and this, this I can personally relate to.

There is at least 113 suicides each day or 1 every 13 minutes. Suicide among males is the seventh leading cause of death and the fourteenth leading cause in females. Most suicides are with a firearm and are carried out with a “ Saturday night special”. (Dilaura,Cynthia DiLaura) “More than 90 percent of suicide attempts with a gun are fatal. “ (Brady Campaign) There are a number of reasons why suicide occurs. Stress is the number one cause among our youth, bullies, peer pressure, depression, and abuse. 41,100 people committed suicide in the United States in 2013. Our young teens today does not take time to look deeper into there problem and to seek out a better solution. They are looking for a quick fix but not realizing once the trigger is pulled the result is final with no turning back. Most people who has attempted suicide is more likely to try a second attempt and most have an underlying mental illness. There is many warming that someone may be in a suicide crisis. We most learn how to see things through their eyes. No matter what one is facing in life or the difficult that lie ahead of them Nothing is worth taken your own

First, a study shows that one out of four students knows of a peer who has committed suicide by age seventeen (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”). Also, a survey from the CDC National Risk Behavior said that 16% of American high schoolers admit that they have considered suicide in the last year (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”). Next, suicide rates have tripled in the last thirty-five years (“Teen Suicide: A Preventable Tragedy”). Self-harm is also the largest cause of death in those ages fifteen-nineteen ( “Sad Teenage Girls are Becoming More So”). Some believe that teenage suicide rates have increased because more teens are using drugs and alcohol (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”).

Imagine someone’s best friend dies. Later this person discovers that their friend commit suicide. Envision this person’s feelings and all of the painful thoughts and memories going through their mind. This person probably feels intense sadness and maybe even betrayal. Do not forget the suicide victim’s parents. Their own child felt worthless enough to kill themselves. The students at the victim’s school have confusion, start rumors, and gossip. All of the victim’s friends feel as if the suicide happened because of them. Everyone feels as if they could have done something to prevent this tragic event. Suicide is a social issue rising in severity. Each year, over a million people commit suicide throughout the world. Suicide has the name of a

Doctor Constance Scharff pens an article discussing suicide on college campuses and the overwhelmed mental health system that is responsible for monitoring the students’ needs (Scharff, 2015). The article mentions that college aged students more frequently receive mental health services as youth to be able to handle the college stressors in the future. This trend the facilities are ill equipped to deal with the more complicated mental health issues like suicide. Unlike other articles reporting on suicide, this article promotes positive ways to deal with the stressors instead of blaming the system for the rise in deaths or problems.

In this article, the author provides a description of various institutional changes, ranging from policy changes to information dissemination, that is designed to prevent suicide on college campuses in the United States. The purpose of this article is not to offer an extensive review of campus-wide suicide prevention measures. Rather it is to outline recent information on campus suicides in the United States and to highlight reports from professional and mainstream sources, including monthly publications and websites, concerning institutional changes arising from and designed to decrease campus

Suicide is the intentional act of killing oneself. Typically individuals who commit suicide act out of despair. Common suicide triggers are mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and alcoholism and drug abuse. Personal issues such as financial problems or poor interpersonal relationships play a significant role in the cause of suicide (Gross, 2006).In the U.S suicide is the 6th cause of death. Suicide is also the leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults, more men commit suicide than women (Gelder et al, 2005).Leenar and Lester article mention important information about the general knowledge about suicide in college students. However relevant information is missing.

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).

“For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death, approximately 4600 lives lost each year. Of the reported suicides in the 10 to 24 age group, 81% of the deaths were males and 19% were females. The top three methods used in suicides of young people include firearm (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%)” (CDC, 2015). The school is not an easy step to take, and a lot of students suffer from anxiety attacks caused by stress and depression. Sadly, these students usually don’t seek help or maybe they just simply don’t know where to go for the help. “The costs of suicidal behaviors and the savings that can result from preventing these behaviors can help convince policymakers and other stakeholders that suicide prevention is an investment that will save dollars as well as lives” (SPRC, 2015).

An escalating problem throughout many educational institutions, primarily high schools and colleges is suicide. The strain of competing for the best grades possible in order to acquire a brighter future becomes so unbearable that many students choose to opt out of their lives in order to relieve themselves of the pressure. Grades may not be the only reason why a student may choose to commit suicide, several reasons include: relationship problems, drug abuse or financial issues. It is essential to know how to prevent student/teen suicide in order to let students and teens realize that there is more to life than grades and temporary setbacks. There are several ways to manage this issue; primarily

At some point in one’s life they may believe that the only solution to their physical or mental problem is suicide. Although, we think that the majority of people who try to commit suicide just want attention. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the in the United States in 2013, bypassing homicide which came in at 16th place (Facts & Figures, 2014). The facts indications by the CDC estimate that someone will commit suicide in the United States every 13 minutes (Facts & Figures, 2014). Unlike most common disease’s suicide does not discriminate against age, or sex, or social class, it is estimated that males represent 79 percent of the people who do commit suicide in the United States (Facts & Figures, 2014).

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

Suicides can be tempting and result to many causes to why one would think of taking such action. Suicide attempts can be overlooked. Suicide can be defined differently based on one beliefs or feelings. Suicide attempts are actions and instant behaviors that takes one’s life away. Some people look at suicide attempts to be related to murder. Today, suicides are viewed as a leading cause of youth deaths. These attempts of suicide can be prevented. Thio, Taylor, and Schwartz state “about 31,000 American die by their own hand every year. Every year there are far more individuals likely to kill themselves by the fact that the U.S. suicide rate is nearly twice as high” (Thio et al, 2013, p. 144). There are several reasons why one decides to commit