Suicide Is A Major Issue Among African American Adolescent Males Essay

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 has been rising at alarming rates; the overall suicide rate for children and adolescents has increased over 300% since the 1950s. (Miller, 2009) Adolescent children are screaming out for our help, are we just ignoring the signs or do we not care? For young people, an average 1,800 take their own lives and 85,000 are hospitalized for attempts nationally (CDC, 2008). With this kind of statistics we need to step in and take some action.

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.

Substantial cost of suicide exists within American society. The National Institute of Medical Health (NIMH, 2017), asserts that in 2013 suicide cost the United States economy 50.8 billion dollars. However, the CDC (2015) estimated in 2010, the cost of 44 billion dollars with 1,164,499 dollars spent per suicide for individuals over the age of ten. This cost reflects medical treatment and loss in productivity. Unfortunately, CDC (2015) reports that most individuals who engage in suicidal behavior never go on to seek treatment for their mental illness.

In this source features statics of the teen suicide stating that teen suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in adolescence ages 11 to 15 it goes on to say that from 2003-2015 suicide has claimed the lives of over 5,500 youth. It was sound that there was a pattern of similarities between the youth that varied in race from Caucasian, African American, and Asian. There were relationship problems, mostly with their parents. Data also revealed that the individuals showed progression towards suicidal behavior. This source is full of factual information regarding suicide without bias. Therefore it was very useful in my research. I found the source on EBSCO by searching teen suicide in the search bar.

Consequently, the economic impact of completed suicides in 2010 falls around $44 billion annually. This is because the economic burden tends to effect working age citizens more often than those who commit suicide (2015). However, non-fatal suicide attempts cost around $2 billion annually for hospitalization costs, and another $4.3 billion is spent on indirect costs such as the loss of wages over an extended period of time (2015). Although these costs seem to be more of a private trouble rather than a

While the loss of life is significant, there are other costs associated with suicide. The average medical cost associated with suicides is $5,518 per person (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). In addition to medical cost, the average work loss cost is $1,684,460 (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). Medical cost and loss of work cost are very important, but they only take into account the numbers associated with the individual who committed suicide. It does not factor in the cost of failed attempts or other cost related to love ones, such as their emotional cost or toll suicides takes on the surviving family members. This is why identifying the factors related to suicide is very important.

Medical care in America is estimated to cost $2.7 trillion each year with roughly 30 percent of that cost attributed to ineffective or redundant care, approximately $800 billion (America's Health Insurance Plans, 2014; FOX, 2010). Within this section $44.6 billion is attributed to suicide treatment and medical cost (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The CDD further estimates that with approximately 40,000 people dying of suicide annually suicide contributes to the 10th leading cause of death for Americans, narrowly being outstrode by kidney disease and influenza yet still achieving a higher overall medical cost than the ninth and eighth ranked causes of death (Keren, Zaoutis, Saddlemire, Luan, & Coffin, 2006;Webberley, 2015).

Suicide has become a major issue in Black adolescents, suicide is the third leading cause of death for Black boys age 13 to 17 (CDC, 2014). That surpasses the number of deaths due to chronic diseases such as cancer, HIV and diabetes (CDC, 2014.). CDC reports show that in 2014 there were 68 adolescents that completed suicide and 1131 reported attempts (CDC, 2014). Not all suicide attempts are reported. Suicide accounted for 10 percent of deaths of adolescents in 2014 (CDC, 2014). While the loss of life is significant there are other cost associated with suicide. The average medical cost associated with suicides is $5,518 per person (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). The average work loss cost $1,684,460 (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). Those financial numbers only take into account the numbers associated with the individual who commits suicide. It does not factor into other cost related to love ones, such as the emotional cost or toll suicides plays on the family.

Along with the hushed attitude towards mental illness in the African American community is the hushed attitude towards African Americans and suicide. In some cases they go hand in hand. Not only were the symptoms and signs of the mental illness overlooked or never taken into real consideration, but also the unfortunate belief that black people just don’t commit suicide sometimes ended in

accidents, and other diseases, but by their own hand. These people make the choice that

While the loss of life is significant there are other cost associated with suicide. The average medical cost associated with suicides is $5,518 per person (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). In addition to medical cost, the average work loss, cost is $1,684,460 (CDC, 2010, National Vital Statistics System). While medical and loss of work cost are very important they only take into account the numbers associated with the individual who commits suicide. It does not factor in other cost related to love ones, such as their emotional cost or toll suicides takes on the surviving family. This is why identifying the factors related to suicide is

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

Teen suicide is a major problem in our society today. The adolescent suicide rate has tripled since 1960, while being the largest cause of death between the ages of 15 and 24. This is the one single age group that has seen an increase in suicides over the past thirty years. There are about 10,000 reported suicides reported annually. It is estimated however, that the true number of teen suicides is actually three to four times that number when unreported deaths are factored in.