Teen Suicide

Teen Suicide

Each year, thousands of teens are dying, not from cancer or car

accidents, but by their own hands. They make the choice to take their lives. The number of teenagers who take their lives is increasing each year. Teen suicide has increased in the last few decades and is now the third leading cause of death among youth 15-25 years of age ('Teen Suicide,' NP). In youth 5-14 years of age, suicide is the sixth leading cause of death ('TeenSuicide,' NP).

When a teen commits suicide, everyone is affected. Family members, friends, teammates, neighbors, and sometimes even those who didn't know the person well may experience feelings of grief, confusion, and guilt. Some may think that if only they had done something differently, the suicide could have been prevented.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by over whelming feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, and often times excessive guilt or feelings of worthlessness. Depression is not something that a person can help and if they could, they would not even want to. Depression is often associated with suicide, but the problem can usually be prevented with treatment such as counseling or anti-depressants. About five to ten percent of teens at some time in their life suffer from depression, and if not treated properly, depression can lead to suicide in almost fifteen percent of those troubled teens ('The Demon Called Depression,' pg.12). Depression is the typical trigger for most suicide attempts. Many factors can contribute to depression. The most common would be negative thoughts and actions such as major disappointment, rejection, and failure, loss such as breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend, failing a big exam, or witnessing family turmoil. Most teens who commit suicide have some form of mental problem or diagnosis, and many are depressed or hopeless (Davis, 1999, pg. 119) and thus, they often have difficulty dealing with such stressors. They are unable to see that their life can turn around, unable to recognize that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.