The Suicide Is Preventable?

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 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

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.

Suicide is something that can not be overlooked. It not only affects adults but teens as well. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Some warning signs of suicide are changes in eating or sleeping, depression, and/or obsessed with death. But suicide is not the go to option, there is prevention!

“For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death, approximately 4600 lives lost each year. Of the reported suicides in the 10 to 24 age group, 81% of the deaths were males and 19% were females. The top three methods used in suicides of young people include firearm (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%)” (CDC, 2015). The school is not an easy step to take, and a lot of students suffer from anxiety attacks caused by stress and depression. Sadly, these students usually don’t seek help or maybe they just simply don’t know where to go for the help. “The costs of suicidal behaviors and the savings that can result from preventing these behaviors can help convince policymakers and other stakeholders that suicide prevention is an investment that will save dollars as well as lives” (SPRC, 2015).

Throughout their education, children sit through countless bullying and sex education programs, but suicide, the third leading cause of adolescent deaths (Caine 1), is practically ignored. Many schools only offer hot lines for suicidal students. While some schools have implemented suicide prevention programs and the government has recognized teenage suicide as a growing problem, effective solutions need to be discovered and funded to prevent these catastrophic deaths. The U.S. federal government should develop and fund suicide prevention programs in high schools, while focusing on strategies ranging from coping mechanisms to drug intervention and screening methods.

Each day, 95 people in the United States die by suicide. No one is immune to this tragic act regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Suicide is especially prevalent in the adolescent and young adult populations, and is the third leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 (Borges et al., 2010). Within the group of 10- to 14 year-olds, most deaths by suicide occur in children and adolescents ages 12-14, with the rate of suicide deaths increasing dramatically in the late teen years. The rate of suicidal behavior continues to increase until the early twenties, at which points it drops off until late

Teen suicide is a growing health concern. The third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 to 24 years and the fourth-leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 14 years. Teenagers commit suicide because of mental illness, substance abuse, and feeling of

Day to day, teens suffer from peer pressure, problem from home, and stress from academics. Despise their status in the environment, majority of high school students refrain from acknowledging the presence of their reality. The problem in most situations in that students feel shut in, trapped in a never ending misery. How do they cope? What are their ways of dealing? Most students live in denial. Others have friends to confide in. For the devastating part, most students are not as open to these ideas and it leaves them with this alternative: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause in teens the ages 14 to 19 within rural underserved areas. Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared with peers or even adults in the pursuit of receiving help or support (Pisani, 2012). Because a student spends most of their day at school, it is ideal for schools to provide realistic opportunities and school-based programs to assist with the suicide among the youth. The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program designed four 50 minute session or each high school student. This presented information in regards to factual information about depression, suicidal warning signs, suicidal risk factors and myths associated with suicide (King, 2010). The program provide coping strategies for everyday life, referral sources if feeling suicidal, and how to recognize

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-24 years old. This calculates to 33,000 adolescents killing themselves each year (CDC, 2010). The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), reported that suicide amongst all individuals nation wide has declined over all, but despite the decline, adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 have shown suicide rates that has increased by 6 percent (NCSL, 2005). The most staggering number, however, comes from the population of children between the ages of 10 and 14. For these individuals, suicide rates have increased by more than 100 percent (NCSL, 2005). In this paper, I seek to address the

Everyday, teenagers have a routine. They usually get up, go to school, and come home. Each of these activities are filled with many complex issues, stress related problems, and pressure. These issues can lead to depression. Every 1 teenager out of 5 will develop a type of depression (Jones 1). “Adolescent depression is a disease that affects the psyche in a way that the person affected with it will act and react abnormally toward others and themselves” (Blackman 2). About 19 million Americans are diagnosed with some sort of depression. 9 million of them are adolescents (Jones 1). Suicide is affiliated with depression greatly. 15% of all adolescents who are diagnosed with depression commit suicide (Jones 1). “Since 1995, 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

Suicide is highly preventable for teens by anyone close to them, but early detection is key. We all know a teenager whether their a friend or family member, but what we don’t know is what goes on in their heads prior to their suicide. Suicide is a tricky thing to prevent because you don’t know whether it’s a mood swing or the real deal. There are clear warning signs that give you a hint that the teen is suicidal. They usually talk about death and have wish to die. Although it may seem as if a teen always says “I’m going to kill myself!”, this is just an example of anxiety. Another sign is a social life that encounters a downfall as well as a problem that gives them a bad image of themselves. They let themselves go on the outside (appearance) and also on the inside. After these turn of events they also start preparing for death by giving away valued possessions. Although these are what usually happens with a suicidal child, it can possibly be

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.