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Teen Suicide Essays

Decent Essays

Each year, thousands of children are dying, not from cancer, getting shot, or car accidents, but by their own hands. They make the choice to take their lives; they commit suicide. To begin, what is “Suicide”? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, suicide is the act or instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally. The number of teenagers who take their lives is rapidly increasing each year. Teen suicide is escalating out of control and no one seems to realize just how severe the issue has become. Every day and average of 18 young Americans end their lives, one every 90 minutes. The National Institute of Mental Health believes that as many as 50-150 suicides are attempted for each one that is completed , meaning …show more content…

Sexual and physical abuse are also contributing causes to the teen suicide epidemic. From these types of abuse usually depression and other psychological disorders form, making the risk of these youth committing suicide very high. Family support is important as well, “A Teen with an adequate support network of friends, family, and religious affiliations, peer groups or extracurricular activities may have an outlet to deal with everyday frustrations, but many teen’s don’t believe they have that, and feel disconnected and isolated from family and friends. These teens have an increased risk for suicide” (kidsHealth.org). Additionally the issue of sexuality and an unsupportive family or peer group is also detrimental to the teen’s psyche and plays a major role in teen suicide. Lastly, sudden trauma in a teen’s life is very influential on a suicide decision. The loss of a parent, sibling, or loved one can cause the teen to react by committing or attempting suicide. Teenagers are more at risk because they are in a stage of growth in their lives, and thus the depression or trauma can create a feeling of isolation in their mind. In most cases there are ways to detect when a person is planning to commit suicide before they actually carry it out. Teen suicide can be prevented when the warning signs are recognized early on. It is stated in many studies that teen suicide attempts have been preceded by clear warning

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