Teen Suicide - The Unknown Epidimic
Every year, thousands of youth die in the United States, not by cancer, car
accidents, and other diseases, but by their own hand. These people make the
choice that
they want to die and they take there own life. Suicide, the term given to the
act of killing
oneself, is the third leading cause of death among people that are 15 to 25
years of age. It
is estimated that 500,000 teenagers try to kill themselves during the course of
one year.
During the adolescent years, normal teenagers experience strong feelings of
stress,
confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other
fears while
growing up. These feelings in themselves are not harmful, but normal. However
those who
can not handle these situations are ones that are prone to suicide. Many people
believe
that suicides are isolated incedents, but they are far from that. Suicide among
teenagers is
indeed an epidimic that should be focused on and dealt with immediately. This
essay will
focus on the causes of suicide, the signs of a person that is suicide prone,
and what one
should do for a person who may be a target for suicide.
The main two causes for teen suicide is the mental disease of depression and
family
problems. 90% of teen suicide victims have at least one diagnosable, active
psychiatric
illness at the time of death, which is most often depression, substance abuse,
or behavior
disorders. Only 33-50% of victims was known by their doctors as having a mental
illness
at the time of their death, and only 15% were in treatment at the time of
death. The
pressures of modern life are greater these days and competition for good grades
and
college admission is difficult, which are extra stressors on already unsure
teens. Some even
think it\'s because there is more violence in the media. Lack of parental
interest may make
them feel alone and anonymous. They believe that their parents don\'t
understand them and
when they try to express their feelings they feel that their parents either
denied or ignored
their attempt to communicate feelings of unhappiness, frustration, or failure.
Many
children grow up in divorced households or both parent\'s work and their
families spend
little time together. Even the threat of AIDS is a factor that contributes to
higher suicide
rate. Stressful life events, such as the loss of an important person or school
failure, often
encourages suicides. People who have worked with depressed teens see a common
pattern
of unhappiness, feelings of inner disturbance, chaos, low self-worth,
hopelessness and
anger. Suicidal teens generally feel that their emotions are played down, not
taken
seriously, or met with opposition by other people, but it should always be
taken seriously.
Those who believe in the finality of death (i.e., that there is no after-life),
are the ones
who advocate suicide and regard it as a matter of personal choice. On the other
hand,
those who firmly believe in some form of existence after death on earth,
condemn suicide
and judge it to be a major sin. However, there are ways of watching for warning
signs of a
suicidal person and depression.
Some noticeable signs that are prevalent among people thinking about suicide
are
talking about suicide, statements about hopelessness, helplessness, or
worthlessness. They
may have a obsession with death or suddenly become happier and calmer. They
have a
loss of interest in things they usually care about. They might stop visiting or
calling people
that they care about. They even start making arrangements or putting their
affairs in order
and give away their things. Teens should learn that with treatment, depression
ends, but
someone who is experiencing deep depression might not be able to think about
that. They
can\'t see the way out of the problem and think suicide is the only choice.
Some hotlines, and web sites that help with people are Counselors Counseling,
Teen Suicide Help, and there are many others that exist. These people who work
for these
hotlines, and the counselors out there are educated to help people who are
suffering
from deep depression, and suicide. They don’t even have to be suicidal...they
might just
have deep depression, and since that is one of the main causes of suicide, they
are there to
help them cope with their depression so that in the future they don’t have to
see suicide.
The certain web sites that are out there supply people with lots of facts and
information
about suicide itself. It tells them the causes and effects, and also how to get
the strength to
realize you have a problem, and to reach out for help. A couple of the
medications that are
prescribed to patients by doctors and psychologists are prozac, and serzone.
Prozac has
had over 9 years of experience worldwide, and over 7 years in the U.S.. It is
prescribed for
over 16 million patients worldwide, approved in over 75 countries, one of the
world’s
most thoroughly studied medicines, and is indicated for the treatment of
depression.
Serzone (scientifically known as nefazodone HCI) causes you to feel less blue,
and more
like yourself, feeling less anxious, getting a good night’s sleep, feeling more
calm, more in
control, less “jittery”, being able to concentrate, and having more interest in
more
activities. In many cases being on these certain medications has helped lots of
people to
overcome their sickness, and get on with their lives. The third, and final
“solution” for
suicide is basically the love and support from family and friends. Usually when
people are
this depressed, it is because they are feeling pain. They have lost someone, or
feel lost
themselves. Being ignored, unloved, being forgotten or being left out...these
are all
possible reasons for a person to become suicidal. They just need to know that
their life is
worth living, and that there are people out there who love and care about them,
and who
want them to stay alive. Every person is different, therefore every suicide
case is going to
be different, with different needs, and different causes. If I could tell you a
solution to
solve suicide, and put an end to it I would be one of the most famous people in
the world.
I can tell you the ways to help reduce the numbers of people who commit suicide
each
year.
As one can see, teen suicide is a epedimic problem that is only spreading
throughout America. There seems to be little exposure to teens about this vast
and
important problem. This problem must be focused on and dealt with or the world
is going
to miss out on its future leaders and important people, because some will take
their lives
as a teenager. Therefore, this problem should be given all the research funding
that is
given for cancer and other diseases, and it should be taught in schools.
Suicide will never
completely be ended, but with focus on prevention, the number of those who
commit
suicide can drop, substantially.