Suicide: Root Causes and Possible Prevention Strategies

"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.

Suicide affects and destroys many families and takes too many lives each year. Despite it being somewhat of a taboo topic, it is important to be aware of the consequences of suicide and what is being done to prevent it. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and took nearly 45,000 deaths last year. For every suicide death, there are roughly 25 suicide attempts. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2017). In the past few years, there has been a rise in suicide prevention programs. Programs are being implemented into schools and universities and offered at community centers as well. Suicide prevention is a major public health priority, as recognized by the Prioritized Research Agenda for Suicide Prevention,

Suicide was seen as a just way to die if one was faced with unendurable suffering - be it physical or emotional”. Throughout time, suicide has been viewed and dealt with in countless ways. Recently in America, the problem has grown increasingly. In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicide rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000”. A 30 percent increase with an average of 19 more male suicides than female suicides is certainly an issue for both genders, and an epidemic for men. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (n.d.), found that in 2010, 38,364 suicides were reported, with 78.9% being men. The economic recession, unemployment, and various other factors are speculated to be responsible for this incline in male suicide. As of 2010, an estimated 30,308 men ended their own lives, and it seems as if there is a great risk of that number increasing each year.

Over the past decade suicide rates have been either stagnant or have been decreasing over all of the demographics of people. One demographic of people's suicide rate, on the other hand, has risen at a substantial rate. Scientists and researchers have just started studying this trend and have yet to draw one specific reason on why middle aged white males suicide rates are climbing. The suicide rate for this demographic of people has just surpassed the deaths by automobile accidents. This recent epidemic has got many researchers and scientists asking the question of “why?”.

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

Suicide is the 15th biggest cause of death in the world [1] killing 800,000 people a year worldwide. South

The topic of suicide can easily become uncomfortable when discussing. Thoughts of family or friends using a permanent solution to a temporary problem is hard to grasp. Why would an individual choose to do this? Did it stem from personal reasons or was it fueled by a number of out-siding factors. Using Sociology we can decipher human behavior and gain an insight into a global issue .

Although higher prevalence may occur in some countries, there are generally no cultural associations. Families of suicide victims will often state they cannot recall much leading up to the death or that the individual was never really that sad. Unfortunately, suicide is often an outcome of extreme mental anguish without the ability or desire to carry on with normal life expectations. While not all reasons can point back to preventative measures or risk factors, there are certain issues to be aware of when looking at risk associated with an individual. Risk factors

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (US) as of the 2015 Suicide Facts at a Glance Report. In 2013 there were 41,149 suicides in the US which calculates to a rate of 12.6 per 100,000 or 113 suicides each day or one every 13 minutes (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Emergency departments are often a resource for those seeking assistance for suicidal ideations. This paper will discuss many aspect of suicide including; contributing factors, scope of the problem, populations affected, significance, and approaches used to address the issue.

In 2011, suicide was the 3rd leading cause of young people aged 15-24 years old. It was reported that there were 39518 deaths by suicide by youths constituting of 78.5% male and 21.5% female.) It was stated that 50.6% of suicide method was by firearm and 24.8% by suffocation such as hanging. (American foundation for suicide prevention n.d)

Most countries with high suicide rates are poor buy there are a surprising amount of highly-developed countries that rank very high in suicide rates. “Generally, committing suicide is about three times more common in men than in women,” says Habarta, “with poisoning, hanging and firearms being the most common methods.” The three countries with the highest suicide rates are Guyana, Korea, and Sri Lanka. Guyana ranks first on the list according to Habarta. It is in South America and home to 740,000 people. The suicide rate is four times higher than the global average. The citizens of Guyana are in deep rural poverty, plus, they have easy access to deadly pesticides. The two neighbors, North Korea and South Korea, both are top ranking in suicide rates. In the North, extreme poverty, economic hardship, and stress are some of the main reasons why so many people commit suicide. South Korea, which is one of the world’s most developed countries with the best education and health care seems to also be having troubles. Social pressure that comes with education and family problems are the main causes of suicidal death here. Sri Lanka is also one of the world’s most developed countries yet is has one of the highest suicide rates. There are not obvious causes but most think that is is because of poverty, social inequality, and homelessness. The causes of suicidal death in these countries is associated with the causes in the previous

Research depicts that the suicide rate tends to increase over the course of the lifespan, but that it sharply increases at adolescence. As it stands, suicide is currently the third-leading cause of death amongst teenagers in the U.S., following behind motor vehicle collisions and homicides. In terms of nationality, adolescent suicide rates actually tend to vary dependant on location. Among industrialized nations, adolescent suicide rates are low in places like Italy, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands, whereas adolescent suicide rates tend to be more intermediate in places like Canada, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. (Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, 2006). Interestingly enough, these international differences still remain to be explained. Adolescent suicide rates tend to be at their highest in locations like New Zealand, Finland, and Singapore (Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, 2006). According to the statistics, suicide is epidemic and there’s more statistics that one could reference to prove the legitimacy of that

and psychiatrists are now coming up with prevention plans for their patients. One task force is

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Vital Statistics reported that Suicide was the 10th leading of cause of death within the United States in 2013, accounting for approximately 41,149 deaths per year or 112 deaths per day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The CDC Division of Violence Prevention defines suicide as “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior” (CDC, 2015, pg. 1). Suicide rates have continued to rise each year since 2000, despite being identified as a leading health indicator in Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Suicide rates are expressed by the number of suicide deaths that occur for every 100,000 in a population. In 2012, suicide rates increased to 12.3 per 100,000 compared to data from 2000, which reported 10.4 suicide deaths per 100,000. According to records from 1999-2013, suicide rates in Montana have been consistently higher than the national average (Montana Vital Statistics, 2013). The current Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicator goal is to reduce the suicide rate from 11.3 to 10.2 suicide deaths per 100,000 population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). Suicide is a national and

Suicide is a main source of death around the world and ranks among the three main causes of death among young adults aged between 15-45 years. Indeed, a response to this continuous worldwide issue, the World Health Organization called for the prevention of suicide (WHO, 2015). Several studies have evaluated some of the contributing factors, however, the connection between suicide and the evaluated factors is conclusively positive or negative.