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
The first step in taking action against adolescent suicide is by recognizing the warning signs. Some of the warning signs are (a) rage, anger, seeking revenge; (b) acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking; (c) feeling trapped, as if there is no way out; (d)
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
Teen’s behavior is a major warning sign of suicide or suicidal thoughts. Many factors play into an adolescent's behavior and attitude determining the way they
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.
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.
First, a study shows that one out of four students knows of a peer who has committed suicide by age seventeen (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”). Also, a survey from the CDC National Risk Behavior said that 16% of American high schoolers admit that they have considered suicide in the last year (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”). Next, suicide rates have tripled in the last thirty-five years (“Teen Suicide: A Preventable Tragedy”). Self-harm is also the largest cause of death in those ages fifteen-nineteen ( “Sad Teenage Girls are Becoming More So”). Some believe that teenage suicide rates have increased because more teens are using drugs and alcohol (“Teen Suicide: Prevention Is Contagious, Too”).
Lives are slowly being lost due to suicide and not only is it affecting themselves but also the people who are around them. Suicide is defined as taking of one’s own life and it is an issue that should be given all attention to. Teen suicide has been talked about in every source of media and it still continues to have a harmful effect in todays generation. In the United States the eighth leading cause of death is suicide, within developing teens, suicide is the third leading cause of their deaths (NAMI). There are many signs of someone who is contemplating suicide. And there are many reason for someone to be driven to the point of suicide. Those reasons being if the teenager is dealing with depression, bullying, sexual abuse and abuse
There is too much teen suicide in the United States. Many teens who are depressed have mental issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. Often, teens who have these issues feel as if they don’t belong. They don’t feel like talking about certain things going on in their life. Issues regarding sexuality, bullying, and abuse make children feel hopeless and unwanted. They feel alone. The suicide rate has gone up dramatically. There are approximately 100,000 suicides per year and 10,000 to 20,000 of them being from ages 14 to 24. Suicide is also the 3rd leading cause of death for teens.
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).
Suicide has become a big issue in today's generation, especially for teens. Suicide is now known as the third leading cause of death among youth all around the world between 10 and 19 years of age. In the article, Preventing youth suicide-tips for parents and educators, the author states, “Teens are more prone to suicide because of the many difficult risks they may face today”, such as many teens face bullying in their schools, self-esteem problems, family dysfunction, drug addictions or it can be the simple fact that they are not mentally stable or have a mental illness like depression. However, suicide is preventable. Many teens who may be contemplating suicide frequently give signs, or approach in a different behavior. Some of these signs may include, suicidal threats, prior suicidal behavior, self harm acts, or change in behavior. It is crucial that parents, educators, and friends or family members notice these signs before the teen makes an effort to conduct an irreversible act. Many schools are taking role in suicide
Each year, thousands of teens commit suicide in the United States. Suicide is a major problem as it is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers and young adults. Families and friends are heart-broken and greatly affected emotionally by the death of their loved one. It is unimaginable how hard it is for the parents and how they are going to cope with this most unfortunate tragedy. No parent ever imagine that this would happen to their child. Everyone, especially the parents, are often bewildered about the reason of their son/daughter for committing suicide. There are numerous possible reasons why teens commit suicide.
Teen suicide is something that is endless, it will never stop but if everyone was educated on it, it could help prevent deaths. I think with people provided with statistics and further information can help avoid adolescent suicide attempts. I think most teen suicide cases could be prevent if we knew the signs to look for and the ways to stop it. I believe parents would feel safer if they knew knowledge on the issue and how to handle it. The intended audiences for this essay is parents or friends of suicidal teens. This essay is important because, as mentioned earlier, we need to be educated on suicide to end tons of tragedies. It is also important to be aware of the warning signs to help prevent. This essay is relevant because teen suicide is a war that happens daily, and will continue to happen, until we take control of the situation and do something to stop it. If family members were informed of the cause and symptoms leading up to the attempt of suicide, then there is less likely that teenagers would try and commit
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.
Suicide is a major problem worldwide; especially for teenagers. Self image plays a big roll in American society today, especially in enabling someone to make a wrong and destructive decision like suicide. Self image and low esteem effect the chances of a teenagers suicide greatly. There are many events that lead up to a young persons suicide, for instance a little problem that seems inescapable which manifests themselves into overwhelming burdens. Detection and prevention are both key for adults and young people to stop suicide from happening.