Teen Suicide: Is it Preventable?

Discovering one’s identity, struggling to understand one’s conventionally appropriate gender role, accepting one’s body image, gaining independence from parents, maintaining responsible sexual relationships along with enduring vehement hormones, establishing values relating to marriage and parenthood, and simultaneously managing academic goals, extracurricular activities, and occupational preparations are all psychological and social demands placed on the adolescent. These demands, along with additional factors, such as bullying, drug use/domestic substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce of parents, rape/sexual assault, loss of a loved one, heartbreak, low socioeconomic status, health problems, race, ethnicity, struggles with self-identification, and other traumatic experiences can all increase one’s likelihood to commit suicide.

Kutner, Max. "Teen Suicide Is Contagious, and the Problem May Be Worse Than We Thought;

In 2012 suicide was the second leading cause of death between 13 to 20 year olds. Today it is now the third leading cause of death, surpassed by homicides and accidents. Still teen suicide continues to be a growing health concern. Families, friends and communities feel devastated after experiencing losing someone to suicide. They are left to wonder what else could they have done, could they have really prevented this or what went wrong. With the numbers of teen suicides continuing to grow over the past few years, a large amount of people believe that the outcome in treating suicidal teens hasn’t been very successful. This leaves many to question, can suicidal teens be effectively treated? Suicidal teens can be effectively treated because of

The simple statement that “suicide is not correctable” (McWhirter et al., 2017, p. 253) demonstrates the seriousness that counselors, teachers, parents, and even peers should take in offering counsel to adolescents experiencing warning signs of suicidal ideation. Initial treatment requires a determination of the lethality, which is assessed through open and direct discussion with adolescents by questioning whether they have specific plans and resources necessary to carry out these plans (Clinton et al., 2010). If suicide plans appear imminent, adolescents should be hospitalized in order to receive immediate care.

Every year about 4,400 innocent people take their life for unnecessary reasons. (Elias 5,3) Whether it is due to personal problems, bullying or feeling not wanted. Although the teen suicide rates have not significantly increased or decreased within the last several decades (Elias 1,2)We want loved ones, class mates or friends still here with us to experience a life. But instead, there always has to be ruthless people in this world. Also some selfish people who just care about themselves and never see or ask how anyone else is. Someone whose life is already ruined tries to talk or plan about suicide to another person to try to get their life over with, so the messed up person who has a ruined life does not have to worry about anyone else who has such a good life ahead of them. (Alison 5,6)Teen suicide is an important issue because it threatens so many lives that have great potential.

Suicide and the reasons why they happen is something not many people talk about. According to American Psychiatric Association, suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between eleven and eighteen years of age and the suicide rate is highest for those who suffer from depression, substance abuse or other mental disorders. But I would have to argue this, I believe that teen suicide has increased over the years because of bullying, parent divorces and depression.

According to data provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) suicide was the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in 2013. There were 41,149 successful suicides in the United States. Available data regarding completed suicides in 16 National Violent Death Reporting System states in 2010, 33.4% of suicide decedents tested positive for alcohol, 23.8% for antidepressant medication, and 20.0 % for opiates, including heroin and prescription pain killers, Suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 10-14, resulting in 4,500 adolescent deaths in 2010. In addition, among students in grades nine to twelve during 2013, 17.0% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous twelve months. Adolescent suicide represents an important health crisis, and “researchers are tasked with identifying the characteristics and causes of adolescent suicidal behavior, with the aim of developing and refining suicide prevention programs” (Grover et al. 2009). Data implies that illicit and prescription drugs and alcohol are involved with a majority of completed suicide attempts; in what way does depressive symptoms in adolescents effect suicidal behavior?

Each year in the United States, thousands of adolescents contemplate suicide or perform non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Research has shown that adolescents who either attempted suicide or inflicted self-injury showed warning signs. These adolescents experience extreme feelings of stress, self-doubt, confusion, peer pressure, and other fears while growing up. Suicidal feelings and depression are treatable mental disorders, however, often times, warning signs are ignored. According to Margaret Andover and Blair W. Morris et al, in the United States, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults, and the 7th leading cause of death for children aged 5 to 9 years. Suicide with or without the intent to die is the behavior of an individual seeking to calm or end their pain and suffering.

I came to a profound realization on a Monday afternoon. I had just arrived at the emergency department of Community Hospital South and was asked to take a survey about teen suicide. At the time, I served as a volunteer in the emergency room, and as a member of the hospital, it was required to take these types of surveys about once every month. These surveys usually are composed of the main crippling diseases of America: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Obesity, etc. However, this survey concerned the topic of teen suicide. I wasn’t shocked by this topic matter. I knew that teen suicide has been rapidly increasing over the past decade, but I wouldn’t have been so quick as to put American epidemics such as Heart Disease and Diabetes into the same category as teen suicide. I sped through the ten question survey, eager to get started with my day at the hospital. I didn’t think too hard about the facts and statistics displayed before me, until I read this statement “Some of the increasing rates in teen suicide can be accredited to the rise in social media” (Riley, 2015). When I read that statement, I recalled an article that I had read about three years ago. The article made the same argument and discussed how a new social media app known as Instagram would affect the soaring rates of teen suicide. Being a teenager myself, I agreed with these claims, feeling that the rise in teen suicide rates, as well as social media in the past decade, had gone hand and hand.

Teen suicide is a growing issue in the United States. In order to prevent it, we need a better understanding on it. What is teen suicide? Teen suicide which is better known as youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below age 24, deliberately end their own life. Rates of attempted suicide and completed youth suicide in western societies and other countries are extremely high. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death in teens and second leading cause of death in the world. In the year 2002 teen suicide rates increased dramatically. Youth suicides are mainly caused by loss of someone who is significant to them and also committed suicide. It is highly advised to keep children away from suicide contagion. Suicide contagion refers to the process where one suicide or suicidal act within school, community, or geographic area increase the likelihood that others will attempt suicide or complete suicide. Suicide contagion can also lead to what is called suicide cluster were a number of suicides can occur following an initial suicide. The national suicide prevention day is September 10.

There is a large problem in Iowa, teen suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of teenagers, ages 15-19 years old. From 2008 through 2012, there were 126 teenagers who decided to end their own life (Children’s Safety Network, 2015). Teen suicide is a problem because the teens that decide to commit suicide and succeed, won’t live to see how life gets better. Schools need to start

Teen Suicide is dangerous, you might think, your child’s not at risk, that they are completely fine. Think again, everyone's child is at risk. Child and teen suicide is only growing and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Teen Suicide Prevention is the way to protecting our younger generation from fighting depression. Through letting our kids know their life is worth it, the amazing Sources of Strength program, and through telling our kids the dangers of teen depression, we can resolve teen suicide.

Suicide, otherwise known as completed suicide, can be described as a deliberate act to inflict harm upon oneself that results in death (Wagner, 2009). Suicide has been recognized as a significant public health problem among the adolescent community (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015; Jurich, 2007). Suicide has been ranked as the third leading cause of death amongst young individuals aged 15 through 24, with an average of 4,600 deaths annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jurich; Paperny, 2011). From the 1950s to the 1990s, the suicide rate for young individuals have tripled (Jurich; Paperny). More young individuals have died from suicide than homicide, cancer, or heart disease. However, more adolescents survive attempts than die from actual suicide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sofronoff, Dalgleish, & Kosky, 2004). An adolescent 's suicide "attempt" could be a desperate call for help from family members and friends, or he/she is unable to cope with the stresses of progressing into adulthood (Johnson & Malow-Iroff, 2008). Therefore, most suicides can be preventable when family members, friends, teachers, or mental health professionals recognize the warning signs and risk factors associated with suicide (Johnson & Malow-Iroff). The purpose for this paper is to address the main risks and protective factors for adolescent suicide, and interventions for young suicidal patients.

Suicide rates for teenagers have increased drastically over the years, but there are no new programs being set up to try and correctly treat patients to lower the rate. Suicidal thoughts are automatically assumed to be triggered by mental deformities, like depression and anxiety. Because of this, teenagers with thoughts of suicide are given varieties of medication and forced into hospitals to try and control their urges. Strategies like this may just be making the problem worse. Should mental disorders be the ultimate primary diagnosis of suicidal attempts? Should external factors be more seriously considered in the course of prescribing treatments? As technology gets more advanced, students are exposed to a whole new scenario of harassment. On top of this stress- college tuition is rising, unemployment is increasing, and for some, bills are drastically overweighing income. Suicide rates will never attain zero percent because the reasons will always be there, permanently preventing complete happiness in every individual. The question that needs to be asked is, what causes have made suicide rates increase so swiftly? Is it the issues one individual battles inside of themselves, or problems with the outside world? This question is significant in our modern society because the correct causes need to be determined before anyone could be correctly treated. While there will always be multiple reasons for suicide, diagnosing the leading cause of

Apart from access to firearms, overdose resulting from over-the-counter prescriptions and self-medication are among the leading methods through which teens attempt and complete suicides. In terms of gender, there is a stark difference between girls and boys. While the