Teen Suicide(sociological)The purpose of this paper is to explainthe causes of teen suicide. This paper will include statistics and somebackground information on suicide survivors. Also this report will discusssome warning signs of teen suicide.
It is important to take the subject ofsuicide seriously. It doesn’t seem right that a teenager, who has livedfor such a short time, would choose to die, but those who can’t get overtheir depression sometimes do. Teen suicide is the third leading causeof death for young people aged 15 to 24 and the fourth leading cause ofdeath for persons between the ages of 10 and 14 and it seems to be on therise. Only accidental deaths and homicide follow it.
Some experts believethat many “accidental” deaths are actually suicides. According to a 1991Center for Disease Control and Prevention study, 27% of high school studentsthought about suicide, 16% had a plan and 8% made an attempt. Suicide affectsteens of all races and social standing. Boys commit suicide more oftenthan girls do. It could be because it’s easier to get the tools for suicide,boys usually use firearms and girls often use pills so since the gun ismore deadly, boys complete suicide. Over the past 15 years, the rate amonggirls has scarcely changed, but the rate among boys has tripled.
Also,the rate among non-white males, even though it’s still lower than the whitemale rate, has been rising most quickly of all. Suicide remains the secondleading cause of death among whites after accidents and the third amongblacks after homicides and accidents. Teen suicide is now considered anational mental health problem. The main two causes for teen suicide isthe mental disease of depression and family problems. 90% of teen suicidevictims have at least one diagnosable, active psychiatric illness at thetime of death, which is most often depression, substance abuse, or behaviordisorders.
Only 33-50% of victims was known by their doctors as havinga mental illness at the time of their death, and only 15% were in treatmentat the time of death. The pressures of modern life are greater these daysand competition for good grades and college admission is difficult whichare extra stresses on already unsure teens. Some even think it’s becausethere is more violence in the media. Lack of parental interest may makethem feel alone and anonymous.
They believe that their parents don’t understandthem and when they try to express their feelings they feel that their parentseither denied or ignored the try to communicate feelings of unhappiness,frustration, or failure. Many children grow up in divorced households orboth parent’s work and their families spend little time together. Eventhe threat of AIDS is a factor that contributes to higher suicide rate. Stressful life events, such as the loss of an important person or schoolfailure, often encourages suicides. People who have worked with depressedteens see a common pattern of unhappiness, feelings of inner disturbance,chaos, low self-worth, hopelessness and anger.
Suicidal teens generallyfeel that their emotions are played down, not taken seriously, or met withopposition by other people, but it should always be taken seriously. There are ways of watching for warningsigns of a suicidal person and depression. Some noticeable things are talkingabout suicide,statements about hopelessness, helplessness,or worthlessness. They may have a obsession with death or suddenly becomehappier and calmer. They have a loss of interest in things they usuallycare about. They might stop visiting or calling people that they care about.
They even start making arrangements or putting their affairs in order andgive away their things. Teens should learn that with treatment, depressionends, but someone who is experiencing deep depression might not be ableto think about that. They can’t see the way out of the problem and thinksuicide is the only choice. There are 30,000 suicides that occur everyyear in the United States and the ” suicide survivors” are the ones thatare left majorly affected and ruined. The people that are mourning overa suicide victim describe feelings of shock, disbelief, sadness, guiltand anger.
They have episodes of crying, depression, apathy, anxiety, andsometimes thoughts of suicide themselves. Some survivors experience scaryand disturbing images of death. .
