Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Research Paper

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 among young children is not something that should be over looked. It is the third leading cause of death in youth aged 10-14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Along with so many other things in the world today, it can be prevented. In this paper, I will review what suicide is and suicide risk factors, explain how common suicidal behaviors are among young males and females age 10-14, and examine causes of suicide using statistical findings and data collection.

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 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.

According to Fowler, Crosby, Parks, and Ivey (2013), suicide and nonfatal suicidal ideations are significant public health concerns for adolescents and young adults. While the onset of suicidal behaviors is observed as young as six years of age, rates of death and nonfatal injury resulting from suicidal behavior are moderately low until 15 years of age (Fowler et al., 2013). According to Fowler et al (2013), the most current available statistics in the United States (U. S.) reported suicide as the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10-14 and 15-19 years, and it was the second leading cause of death among persons aged 20-24 years.

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

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.

(2017). Preventing suicide: A technical package of policies, programs, and practices. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicideTechnicalPackage.pdf

Suicide is a devastating, preventable tragedy and is among the top causes of death in the adolescent population. Compelling statistics given since 2009 show the number of

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).

When discussing suicide in class, we also learned about NSSI which is nonsuicidal self-injury. This is when someone hurts themselves physically without purposely trying to kill themselves. There are multiple explanations as to why someone would do this. One of the reasons, is to get attention from other people or use it as manipulation. In addition, a person might also do this to distract themselves from the emotional pain they are feeling. The physical injury gives them a sense of validation for the pain that they are experiencing on the inside. Lastly, the physical pain somehow lets them release their emotions.

Numerous psychological autopsy studies have shown that approximately 90% of youth who die by suicide experience at least one mental disorder (Gould et al., 2003). The Utah Youth Suicide Study results (2005) indicated that mood disorders and substance use disorders are the most common diagnoses of youth who have died by suicide (Moskos et al., 2005). Further, results of a psychological autopsy study conducted by Brent et al. (1993) indicated that major depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and conduct disorder are the most significant psychiatric risk factors in adolescents who die by suicide. In addition, both mood and anxiety disorders with childhood onset have been shown to increase the likelihood of multiple nonlethal attempts in young adulthood (Rudd, Joiner, & Rumzek, 2004). Personality disorders have also been found to increase the risk of lethal suicide attempts in adolescents (Brent et al., 1993).

When a young person starts to feel overwhelmingly hopeless, useless, alone, and unwanted many turn to suicide. This can become very devastating to family, friends, and people who knew the victim. Teenage suicide occurs due to many different factors. In today’s society people uphold this certain expectation of how someone should look like. And for those who don't follow these standards or expectations one is seen as an outsider and worse they are seen as “ugly.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents 15 to 19 years old and the number of adolescent deaths from suicide in the United States has increased dramatically during the past few decades. Some of the leading causes for suicides among adolescents is bullying, parents divorce, loneliness, and abuse. But doctors don't know the definitive cause or explanation for why kids decide to take their own lives. Having time alone is great and can help many people escape from everyone and everything around them but when young people spend a long time alone it can also be harmful. Kids who struggle with emotional problems are more likely to commit suicide, due to their mental

Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths in adolescents in the United States. Teen suicide is also often referred to as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Teens so often are suicidal and attempt suicide as a call for help from others. They have no intention in dying they are just trying to cry out for help from anyone that will listen. Many reasons cause teen to attempt suicide, varying from bullying to psychological disorders. In fact, psychological disorders accounts for about 90% of teens who attempt or commit suicide. Teenagers are also at higher risk of suicide when they are under

According to data collected by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the leading cause of all deaths (18.4%) following accidental injuries for American adolescents (Heron). To visualize this information, imagine walking through a grave yard for adolescents and knowing every ten steps walked you passed, on average, two people who committed suicide. But the question still stands: why? The answer lies in the fact adolescents are experiencing high levels of stress due to high school and the associated pressures and therefore are demonstrating damaging symptoms as an effect.