Introduction: Teen suicide is a problem for three main reasons; loneliness, depression, and low self-esteem.
When teens begin to experience these three symptoms they begin to believe they are outsiders to the rest of global society, and they feel as though they have no reason left to live. To help prevent suicide among teens, parents and adolescents need to be aware of the warning signs. Also, parents need to be involved in their child’s life. Awareness of a teen’s state of mind will act as an indicator of a possible suicide.
I. How Great is the Problem?1. 15,000 suicides estimated each year2. 500,000 attempted suicides each yeara. Many attempts are done with sleeping pills and this is why they don’t succeed. II.
Three Main Reasons Why People Resort to Suicide1. Lonelinessa. Isolation from friends and/or family. b. Taunting or bullying of child.
c. Emotional isolation. d. Existential isolation. 2. Depressiona.
Persistent sadness. b. Inability to enjoy or irritability. c.
Increase or decrease in activity. d. Low energy. 3. Low Self Esteema.
Sexual abuse. b. Physical abuse. c. Drug abuse.
d. Average problems seem monumental. III. Statistics1.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. 2. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 year old. 3.
Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among those 10-14 years of age. 4. The suicide rate for those10-14 years of age has more than tripled. 5.
Adolescent males commit suicide more often than adolescent females by a ratio of 5:1. 6. Teenage girls commit suicide five times more often then boys, but use a less lethal means. 7. Finland 30 suicides per 100,000 people. 8.
Greece 3. 5 suicides per 100,000 people. 9. Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta, Barbados, and the Bahamas remain at the bottom of the list. 10. France 20 per 100,000 people.
11. Russia 66 per 100,000 people. 12. Ukraine 38 per 100,000 people. 13. Britain 7.
9 per 100,000 people. 14. Japanese teen’s more likely to commit suicide by a ratio of 2:1 verses American teens. IV. High Risk1.
Agea. 15-24 years old. 2. Sexual Preferencea. Homosexuals are more likely to commit suicide by a ratio of 3:1 over heterosexuals. 2.
Drug Abusea. Alcohol is a depressant not an anti-depressant. 3. Previous Attempta. 26-33% of adolescent suicide victims have made a previous suicide attempt.
6. Inability to CommunicateV. The Effect on Others1. Cluster Suicidesa. Cluster suicides are suicides that are introduced to young people through the death of another person. b.
When teens see other kids finding a solution to their problems, they follow by use of the same method. 2. Media Suggestibilitya. The media often makes references to suicides, teens see this and view suicide as a way out of their own problem. b. Movies about suicide increase the rate of suicides while in production.
Conclusion: Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens all over the world. To prevent suicide those close to the teen must be aware of the teen’s mental state. Any slight change in the teen’s average pattern will indicate the child’s behavior. Understanding a teen’s problems will be beneficial to parents and friends in analyzing suicidal behavior. .
