Teen Suicide
We can be the Change
By: Miah Araba
Each year, thousands of youth in the United States die, not by car accidents or diseases, but by their own hands. Suicide in teenagers is continuing to become more of a problem, with numbers rising in the United States. As the CDC states in its article on youth suicide, suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds, an estimated 4,600 teenagers each year. Teens rarely commit suicide without a specific reason, that one reason could be tons of different things, but one thing that remains the same no matter what the cause is that there is always help, and there is always someone to whom to talk. Teen suicide is not okay; there needs to be something done.
What?
Suicide, or as Wexner Medical Center puts it “a pre-occupation or act that is focused on causing one’s own death voluntarily,” has become a major problem in recent years. Death is a natural occurrence usually, but there is nothing natural about teens killing themselves. This topic is so important because there are ways of prevention that are simply not being applied. Communication, or lack thereof, is the main problem with teen suicide. Teenagers and their parents simply talking about what is going on in the teenager’s life and what is making them unhappy isn’t common enough. Often teenagers feel like there isn’t anyone to talk to and that no one actually cares about what is going on in their life (Why Teens Commit Suicide, TeenHelp.com). Reasons such as these are why suicide in teenagers is so important and relevant. Teenagers should be living their lives, not ending them.
Where?
Where does teen suicide occur? An exact location can’t be put on teen suicide because it isn’t limited to just one location. America may not have the highest number of teen suicide throughout the globe but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important, saying that thousands of teenagers are taking their own lives each year means something. It means that there is a serious problem. One issue that relates to location that needs to be realised is the gun control in America and in different countries. According to the CDC, of the top three methods used to commit youth suicide, 45% involve a firearm, so in other countries where gun control may be more strict, the teen suicide rate could potentially be lower. Where teen suicide occurs isn’t the main focus, how to stop it is. So no matter in which country it is happening, teenagers are still killing themselves when it could be stopped.
Why?
“Why would my child take his/her own life?” is the question that many families face after the horrible discovery that their child killed him or herself. WHY? Why would a teenager take his/her life? Well, the fact is that there are many different reasons that a teenager would do such a thing. The most common reason for teen suicide is a result of them already having depression or other mental illnesses. Depression can lead teenagers to focus on their failures and let downs and makes them feel like they aren’t important and that they aren’t worth anything. It lets teengaers sink into feeling that there is no hope and that there is no point in trying to fix anything (Why Teens Commit Suicide).
Depression alone can lead to teen suicide, but when alcohol and drugs are brought into play, everything becomes ten times worse. When teens use drugs and drink alcohol they are putting themselves at a higher risk to commit suicide, this is because they can cause depressive effects on the brain and can intensify the depression that some of them might have already had. They also impair judgement about risks and solutions to problems that the teen might face, making it even harder to see a way out. A lot of times things such as rejection, guilt, anger, fitting in socially, performance, and sadness can be too overwhelming for teens and can seem inescapable, the only escape that seems readily available is suicide, which literally takes them out of the situation (Why Teens Commit Suicide TeenHelp.com).
Media plays a big role in teen lives in this day and age and it can also lead teenagers to think that suicide is a common or normal approach to the problems they face (which needs to change). Becoming a teen doesn’t only change your age but also changes the amount of maturity you should have and the amount of responsibility you are given, sometimes that can be too much for them and they have a hard time dealing with it. Family problems such as going through divorce or facing death within the family can also cause depression or a lot of stress which could potentially lead to suicide or thoughts about it. If the teenager has had a very close relative or friend commit suicide then they could be influenced by that as well (Why Teens Commit Suicide TeenHelp.com). There could also be a case of unplanned suicide where they had no intention of doing it but because of the time of such sadness if a gun or pill was present then there is the possibility that they would.
How?
Depending on which way you look at it, suicide can happen in many different ways. It can happen because it wasn’t prevented and it can also happen with specific ways the death was caused. As in CDC’s article on Youth Suicide it states that the three most commonly used ways of committing suicide are with firearms (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%). What a lot of people don’t know is that how suicide happens can vary between females and males. Males are actually four times more likely to die from trying to commit suicide than females (Teen Suicide Statistics). Although males are more likely to die from it teenage girls are more likely to attempt it, so even if teenage girls make more attempts, teenage boys are more likely to “complete a suicide attempt” (Teen Suicide Statistics).
The other way teen suicide can occur is because there is no prevention. When no one is stopping to help the teenager in need and they feel like no one cares, the teen will then lose any possible hope and will resort to suicide if it gets to that point. If they are dealing with depression and require counseling or other serious help and they don’t ever get that chance to have that, then things might also go down hill. As has been mentioned before, communication is key and when that doesn’t happen between the teenager and someone that really truly cares then the teenager could have feelings of hopelessness and that there is no way out.
When?
When teens come to their breaking point is typically when teen suicide happens. The suicide itself usually happens after an attempt (which is a clear warning sign to guardians) that the teenager has already made. When the teenager comes to a point where they feel like there is nothing else to do and that there is nothing else that can help them. A lot of times teenagers will try to give hints leading up to their suicide because they are uncomfortable just coming out and saying exactly what they are going through. There could also be a time where they don’t give any warning signs and keep it all to themselves, but that is very rare and there are usually warning signs. It could also happen right after something awful and they become very impulsive and listen to the voices inside their head that have mentioned suicide before.
Who?
Who does teen suicide really impact. Well teen suicide can really impact anyone from families, friends, society, or anyone else that cared about the person who committed suicide. But when teenagers continue to kill themselves what does that really say about our society? When a teen commits suicide (or anyone really) it doesn’t just affect that person, it affects anyone who had a connection to them. That is what I think a lot of teenagers don’t realise before committing suicide, that they aren’t going to be the only ones who are going to suffer, even though they were in a time of misery, they need to think about the impact their death might have on other people. Also, families it seems are the most hurt by teen suicide, especially when having to walk in on their dead child, or sibling.
Solutions
Communication with people who care is key to helping prevent teen suicides. That is what is needed most. Seeking counseling, and also having people close to the person at risk, keeping a close eye on them. At risk people especially being those who are depressed or have other mental issues. Of all those who commit suicide there is a high percentage of them that give warning signs. Whether or not people take notice of them or ignore them just depends on if that person realizes that it is a warning sign. One of the most obvious ways to tell that a teen is going to commit suicide is if they give verbal hints such as “oh I won’t bother you for much longer,” or “I won’t see you again,” or what would seem to be a really obvious statement that they are thinking about committing suicide “I want to kill myself” (Teen Suicide). Even though that would seem really obvious, a lot of times people won’t take it seriously and will often just brush it off and not really question it. Treatment is important, depression and suicidal thoughts are treatable mental disorders. The teengaers need to have it recognized and diagnosed.
Conclusion
There is almost always a reason behind a teenager taking their own life, what that reason is exactly changes from person to person. What remains the same is that there is always a way to help try to prevent it from happening. Teen suicide is everywhere. Teens have a hard time coping with their stress which could lead to suicide, and teens aren’t seeking the right help and sometimes need more help than it seems. Once teens have had enough, it isn’t just about the teen, treatment is needed and is available. Suicide among the teenage population is becoming outrageously common but with treatment and family support teens can realize that it isn’t the end the end of the world, or their life. It’s just the beginning.
We can be the Change
By: Miah Araba
Each year, thousands of youth in the United States die, not by car accidents or diseases, but by their own hands. Suicide in teenagers is continuing to become more of a problem, with numbers rising in the United States. As the CDC states in its article on youth suicide, suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds, an estimated 4,600 teenagers each year. Teens rarely commit suicide without a specific reason, that one reason could be tons of different things, but one thing that remains the same no matter what the cause is that there is always help, and there is always someone to whom to talk. Teen suicide is not okay; there needs to be something done.
What?
Suicide, or as Wexner Medical Center puts it “a pre-occupation or act that is focused on causing one’s own death voluntarily,” has become a major problem in recent years. Death is a natural occurrence usually, but there is nothing natural about teens killing themselves. This topic is so important because there are ways of prevention that are simply not being applied. Communication, or lack thereof, is the main problem with teen suicide. Teenagers and their parents simply talking about what is going on in the teenager’s life and what is making them unhappy isn’t common enough. Often teenagers feel like there isn’t anyone to talk to and that no one actually cares about what is going on in their life (Why Teens Commit Suicide, TeenHelp.com). Reasons such as these are why suicide in teenagers is so important and relevant. Teenagers should be living their lives, not ending them.
Where?
Where does teen suicide occur? An exact location can’t be put on teen suicide because it isn’t limited to just one location. America may not have the highest number of teen suicide throughout the globe but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t important, saying that thousands of teenagers are taking their own lives each year means something. It means that there is a serious problem. One issue that relates to location that needs to be realised is the gun control in America and in different countries. According to the CDC, of the top three methods used to commit youth suicide, 45% involve a firearm, so in other countries where gun control may be more strict, the teen suicide rate could potentially be lower. Where teen suicide occurs isn’t the main focus, how to stop it is. So no matter in which country it is happening, teenagers are still killing themselves when it could be stopped.
Why?
“Why would my child take his/her own life?” is the question that many families face after the horrible discovery that their child killed him or herself. WHY? Why would a teenager take his/her life? Well, the fact is that there are many different reasons that a teenager would do such a thing. The most common reason for teen suicide is a result of them already having depression or other mental illnesses. Depression can lead teenagers to focus on their failures and let downs and makes them feel like they aren’t important and that they aren’t worth anything. It lets teengaers sink into feeling that there is no hope and that there is no point in trying to fix anything (Why Teens Commit Suicide).
Depression alone can lead to teen suicide, but when alcohol and drugs are brought into play, everything becomes ten times worse. When teens use drugs and drink alcohol they are putting themselves at a higher risk to commit suicide, this is because they can cause depressive effects on the brain and can intensify the depression that some of them might have already had. They also impair judgement about risks and solutions to problems that the teen might face, making it even harder to see a way out. A lot of times things such as rejection, guilt, anger, fitting in socially, performance, and sadness can be too overwhelming for teens and can seem inescapable, the only escape that seems readily available is suicide, which literally takes them out of the situation (Why Teens Commit Suicide TeenHelp.com).
Media plays a big role in teen lives in this day and age and it can also lead teenagers to think that suicide is a common or normal approach to the problems they face (which needs to change). Becoming a teen doesn’t only change your age but also changes the amount of maturity you should have and the amount of responsibility you are given, sometimes that can be too much for them and they have a hard time dealing with it. Family problems such as going through divorce or facing death within the family can also cause depression or a lot of stress which could potentially lead to suicide or thoughts about it. If the teenager has had a very close relative or friend commit suicide then they could be influenced by that as well (Why Teens Commit Suicide TeenHelp.com). There could also be a case of unplanned suicide where they had no intention of doing it but because of the time of such sadness if a gun or pill was present then there is the possibility that they would.
How?
Depending on which way you look at it, suicide can happen in many different ways. It can happen because it wasn’t prevented and it can also happen with specific ways the death was caused. As in CDC’s article on Youth Suicide it states that the three most commonly used ways of committing suicide are with firearms (45%), suffocation (40%), and poisoning (8%). What a lot of people don’t know is that how suicide happens can vary between females and males. Males are actually four times more likely to die from trying to commit suicide than females (Teen Suicide Statistics). Although males are more likely to die from it teenage girls are more likely to attempt it, so even if teenage girls make more attempts, teenage boys are more likely to “complete a suicide attempt” (Teen Suicide Statistics).
The other way teen suicide can occur is because there is no prevention. When no one is stopping to help the teenager in need and they feel like no one cares, the teen will then lose any possible hope and will resort to suicide if it gets to that point. If they are dealing with depression and require counseling or other serious help and they don’t ever get that chance to have that, then things might also go down hill. As has been mentioned before, communication is key and when that doesn’t happen between the teenager and someone that really truly cares then the teenager could have feelings of hopelessness and that there is no way out.
When?
When teens come to their breaking point is typically when teen suicide happens. The suicide itself usually happens after an attempt (which is a clear warning sign to guardians) that the teenager has already made. When the teenager comes to a point where they feel like there is nothing else to do and that there is nothing else that can help them. A lot of times teenagers will try to give hints leading up to their suicide because they are uncomfortable just coming out and saying exactly what they are going through. There could also be a time where they don’t give any warning signs and keep it all to themselves, but that is very rare and there are usually warning signs. It could also happen right after something awful and they become very impulsive and listen to the voices inside their head that have mentioned suicide before.
Who?
Who does teen suicide really impact. Well teen suicide can really impact anyone from families, friends, society, or anyone else that cared about the person who committed suicide. But when teenagers continue to kill themselves what does that really say about our society? When a teen commits suicide (or anyone really) it doesn’t just affect that person, it affects anyone who had a connection to them. That is what I think a lot of teenagers don’t realise before committing suicide, that they aren’t going to be the only ones who are going to suffer, even though they were in a time of misery, they need to think about the impact their death might have on other people. Also, families it seems are the most hurt by teen suicide, especially when having to walk in on their dead child, or sibling.
Solutions
Communication with people who care is key to helping prevent teen suicides. That is what is needed most. Seeking counseling, and also having people close to the person at risk, keeping a close eye on them. At risk people especially being those who are depressed or have other mental issues. Of all those who commit suicide there is a high percentage of them that give warning signs. Whether or not people take notice of them or ignore them just depends on if that person realizes that it is a warning sign. One of the most obvious ways to tell that a teen is going to commit suicide is if they give verbal hints such as “oh I won’t bother you for much longer,” or “I won’t see you again,” or what would seem to be a really obvious statement that they are thinking about committing suicide “I want to kill myself” (Teen Suicide). Even though that would seem really obvious, a lot of times people won’t take it seriously and will often just brush it off and not really question it. Treatment is important, depression and suicidal thoughts are treatable mental disorders. The teengaers need to have it recognized and diagnosed.
Conclusion
There is almost always a reason behind a teenager taking their own life, what that reason is exactly changes from person to person. What remains the same is that there is always a way to help try to prevent it from happening. Teen suicide is everywhere. Teens have a hard time coping with their stress which could lead to suicide, and teens aren’t seeking the right help and sometimes need more help than it seems. Once teens have had enough, it isn’t just about the teen, treatment is needed and is available. Suicide among the teenage population is becoming outrageously common but with treatment and family support teens can realize that it isn’t the end the end of the world, or their life. It’s just the beginning.