Essay on Teen Suicide

Submitted By chaseerrr
Words: 1944
Pages: 8

Teen Suicide
One of the leading causes of death amongst teenagers is suicide.
Teen suicide is a very serious subject in the United States today. It is important to notice that the amount of suicides has increased in the last few years. In a lot of ways teen suicide can be prevented, in order to make this happen; what leads to make a teen have this state of mind, the causes, and treatments to it need to be taken in account. Many things can lead to a young adult wanting to take his or her life. One of the main leading causes is depression. Their many different perceptions on the subject of suicide and there are many many places and ways to get help. Teen suicide is becoming a very real problem in our society. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24. And, for ages 10 to 14, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death. It is also worth noting that 60 percent of high school students say that they have thought about suicide for themselves.

Causes
Sometimes a person might feel like they cannot handle a life or body that they are trapped inside of. The pressures of life may be too much to handle and the only way to escape is by taking your own life. Statistics say that the two leading causes are depression and bullying. Bullying is a whole new topic and has exceeded to high levels recently. Different types have shown growth to being a cause of suicide including cyber, harassment, and physical bullying. According to a survey about 20% of high-scholars said they'd been bullied while at school, and 16% said they'd been cyber bullied through email, chat, instant messaging, social media (Face book, Twitter, and MySpace) or texting.
Even though these show as the largest reasons there are many others as well. The Teen Suicide Statistics website also includes,

Divorce of parents.
Violence in the home.
Inability to find success at school.
Feelings of worthlessness.
Rejection by friends or peers.
Substance abuse.
Death of someone close to the teenager.
The suicide of a friend or someone he or she "knows" online.
(http://www.teensuicidestatistics.com/)

Rates
Over the last couple of years the rate has increased way more than it should have. In the new generation many things may be harder and less and less people are able to handle all the difficulties. Statistics show that, “More female teens than males have attempted or considered suicide, the survey found. The rate was highest among Hispanic females, at 13.5%, and lowest among white males, at 4.6%. Students struggled with suicide more during the first two years of high school - roughly ages 14 to 16. Rates dropped off slightly when students reached junior and senior year. Overall, the suicide rate among teens has climbed in the past few years, from 6.3% in 2009 to 7.8% in 2011, numbers which reflect the trend gaining national attention as more teen suicides are reported as a result of bullying.” Neal, Meghan (2012, June 9) 1 in 12 teens have attempted suicide: reporthttp://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/1-12-teens-attempted-suicide-report-article-1.1092622#ixzz2NNlJyJz6 .

Signs
When a teen starts to think about this and how it is the only option, you can start seeing signs that they show. It is important to be on the lookout for your teenager to start showing some kind of signs, but the hard part about looking for this sign is they might be very similar to normal adolescent behavior. On a good note though, maybe you could recognize a sign and possibly save a life. During the teenage years it is a very trying time, and possible normal behaviors could be signs for mass destruction. The Teen Suicide Statistics website states,
“It doesn't hurt to look into the following warning signs of teen suicide:
Talks about death and/or suicide (maybe even with a joking manner).
Plans ways to kill him or her.
Expresses worries that nobody cares about him or her.
Has attempted suicide in the past.