Suicide Among Adolescents

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 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).

(372) In adolescent’s fatal illness are so uncommon that suicide is the third leading cause of death. About half of teenage suicides have been tied to clinical depression, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness. Teenagers who have tried to kill themselves seem to also struggle with anger and impulsiveness and have deficiencies with their ability to sort out and solve problems; they may also have alcohol or drug problems (Comer, 2013, pp. 303). With this in mind some of the factors that make adolescent predominantly at risk for suicide are: societal factors, weakening family ties, easy access and pressure to use drugs and alcohol, and not to mention the detailed descriptions of suicide that the media has shown(Comer, 2013, pp. 304). Adolescent is a time of growth and self discovery so, it’s no wonder teenagers who attempt or consider suicide are under a great deal of stress. Teenagers seem to react more sensitively, angrily, dramatically, or impulsively which may be why suicidal acts in times of stress seem to be increasing. I’m not saying all teenagers have tried to commit suicide, but the ones that have either accomplished the deed or attempt to. The ones that attempt to seem to have higher

How frequent do suicides occur? Worldwide, a suicide occurs every forty seconds, making it the 3rd leading cause of death in people ages 15-44 (Suicide Facts). With statistics as horrifying as these, it is to be expected that most people have an opinion on the matter. While beliefs, ideologies, religions, and cultural norms may shape personal preference on the subject, it can be argued that, from an ethical point of view, suicide is a valid and appropriate action. Through utilitarianism, deontology, and egoism with support from historical, cultural, and literary examples, I will show that suicide is an ethically sound choice, despite personal preferences.

Suicide is the “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with an intent to die as a result of behavior” (CDC). In the United States, suicide is rated the third leading cause of death for adolescents ranging from 15 to 24 years old (Beck-Little, R. & Catton G., 2011). The top methods used are firearms, poison and suffocation (Kaslow, 2014). Health promotion is the process of allowing people to improve their control of their own health (CDC). Adolescents are still young, and need guidance along their journey of becoming adults. They are influenced by everything around them. Health promotion would help them because they need that helping hand to make sure they make the right decisions. A nurse can play an important role in preventing suicide amongst this population. There are many ways to get help. The adolescent attend support group meetings, or go see a specialist. Suicide is always preventable.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-24 years old. This calculates to 33,000 adolescents killing themselves each year (CDC, 2010). The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), reported that suicide amongst all individuals nation wide has declined over all, but despite the decline, adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 have shown suicide rates that has increased by 6 percent (NCSL, 2005). The most staggering number, however, comes from the population of children between the ages of 10 and 14. For these individuals, suicide rates have increased by more than 100 percent (NCSL, 2005). In this paper, I seek to address the

Suicide is the act of intentionally ending one's own life. According to the CDC (2015), suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 10-14, the second among persons, aged 15-34 years, the fourth among persons aged 35-44 years, the fifth among persons aged 45-54 years, the eighth among person 55-64 years, and the seventeenth among persons 65 years and older. In the near future, I will be working as a social worker. As a social worker, I am more probable to have contact with clients who are at risk of suicide. Therefore, I ought to familiarize myself with the warning signs of suicide and appropriate responses. I am interested in Teen suicide since I have lost three relatives to suicide in less than 10 year period. The not knowing why a love took

Everyday, teenagers have a routine. They usually get up, go to school, and come home. Each of these activities are filled with many complex issues, stress related problems, and pressure. These issues can lead to depression. Every 1 teenager out of 5 will develop a type of depression (Jones 1). “Adolescent depression is a disease that affects the psyche in a way that the person affected with it will act and react abnormally toward others and themselves” (Blackman 2). About 19 million Americans are diagnosed with some sort of depression. 9 million of them are adolescents (Jones 1). Suicide is affiliated with depression greatly. 15% of all adolescents who are diagnosed with depression commit suicide (Jones 1). “Since 1995, suicide is

The statistics of youth suicide are heartbreaking. In the past 25 years, suicides in girls ages 10-14 is up 76% and 32% in girls 15-19. Although girls attempt suicide more often than boys, it’s the boys who have more success. In addition to this, suicide in boys ages 15-19 is up 9%. According to the CDC, this is the biggest spike in over 15 years.

According to E.J. Holt, in Adolescent Suicide: Identifying Risk Factors, a magazine article. 63% of Midwestern High School students reported that students, have some sort of suicide ideation or behavior, over the last 30 years show that the suicide rates among adolescents between the ages 15 and 24 years old has increased over 200%. An important aspect of adolescent suicide is that it invariably takes place at the time of a crisis such as the break-up of a relationship, problems at school or home, or a humiliating experience. There is no actual means for identifying the reason behind adolescent suicides, there are warning symptoms, to help parents, teachers and others in making such an identification, such as change in eating and sleeping

For adolescents, incentives to live and persevere are often constrained by the elements mentioned in this paper. Observers also tend to judge this behavior as either immoral or defensible, depending on the circumstances. If stupidity is a disagreement between cognitive ability and decisions leading to maladaptive behavior, it is understandable that bad decisions may seem foolish, or even immoral. For this reason, it makes sense that some individuals would view suicide attempts as foolish, especially if the person attempting it is perceived as having an abundance of cognitive ability. However, to consider a poor decision immoral, it must be objectionable when compared to societal or situational norms. When norms are disrupted, individuals other than the actor can be negatively impacted. In the case of attempted suicide, emotional disruptions to norms are inherent, impacting not only the person attempting it, but oftentimes many

Adolescent suicide is an increasing mental health concern. Adolescents are considered a high-risk group in view of the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death among the ages ten to fourteen and the second leading cause of death among ages fifteen to thirty-five (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Alarming statistics such as these have bought enough attention to add “Adolescent Health” as a new topic in Healthy People 2020

This paper is about three things. 1. The history and background of teen suicide. 2. The short and long term effects of teen suicide. Last but not least, 3. Solutions to teen suicide.

Adolescents are more likely than any other age group to commit suicide or engage in self-harm. Why is that? Being an adolescent is a tough time in one’s life. They begin experiencing puberty, experimenting in relationships, hanging out with friends more but also having problems at home and self-esteem issues. We will discuss exactly why adolescents feel the need to commit suicide and practice self-harm. As well as the different forms of self-harm, clues on determining if the adolescent is suicidal or self-harming and what can be done in regards to that, meaning intervention. Both self-harm and suicide can be prevented if caught on time by watching out for warning signs.

When I was undergoing my journey through high school, there was a devastating event that affected the entire school from that point on; one of my fellow classmates had committed suicide. It was heart breaking to hear what had happened to someone at such a young age. A teenage boy drove to a spot in North Carolina where his dad had committed suicide just a few years ago. In that same exact place where his dad committed suicide, he decided to take his own life. According to World Suicide Facts’ statement of years 1991-1993, the United States recorded 2,190,000 men and 380,000 women committed suicide varying in ages from 15 to 24 (Crook 17). No one wants to hear that an adolescent has made a reckless decision to end his or her life. People need to become aware of what is going on around them in order to help these young, confused, individuals. In today’s society, teenage suicide is on the rise with contributing factors like family dynamics, social media, firearms, and abuse of drugs and alcohol. People need to be aware of teenage suicide, and learn to be proactive in this struggle over life and death since it is occurring more and more every day.