Effects of Teen Suicide

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Suicide is an intentional self-inflicted act that ends in death. Over the past years, American society has been concerned about this issue, especially teenage suicide. It is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24 and is the sixth leading cause of death for 5 to 14 year olds. Most of the time, the suicide rate among boys is greater than among girls.

Why do teens kill themselves? There are many causes. Teens experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, the pressure to perform and achieve also other fears. During the teen years there are strong hormonal and emotional changes taking place. For some teens, the break-up of the family through divorce causes stress. That is when step-parents and step siblings come into the picture, which can be very traumatic. Moving to a new neighborhood during the teenage years can be quite upsetting. Also moving across the country for some kids and starting a whole new school. All of these types of things can cause strong feelings of self doubt and low self esteem. In some cases suicide appears to be a solution. (Teen New Horizons: 2nd Paragraph)

Suicide is now one of the leading caused of death among American teenagers ahead of cancer, heart diseases, AIDS, lung diseases, and birth defects combined. Certain sub-groups among teenaged Americans are more vulnerable than others. For example, three times as many teenaged girls attempt suicide as boys. However, the single most likely candidate for "successful" suicide is the white teenaged boy. This is because boys use more lethal methods for suicide such as firearms and hanging while taking sleeping pills is the preferred suicide method among girls. (PN Youth Suicide Prevention Plan 17 Aug. 2004)

In each year, an average of 30,000 suicide deaths occurs in the United States. It is estimated that 5,000 of those suicides are committed by teenagers. One major reason that the suicide rate among teenagers is so high is that the teenage years are a period of commotion. New Social

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Groups are being formed, new relationships are developing, boys and girls are becoming men and women, and decisions about where they would like their future to go are being made during their teenage years. Teenagers usually tend to commit suicide after large changes, significant losses, or abuse and sexual abuse has occurred.

There are mainly two different types of depression suffered by suicidal people. The first type is reactive depression. This type of depression is the reaction of a difficult and often traumatic experience. Endogenous depression is the second type of depression. It is the result of mental illness which is diagnosable by a professional. Some suicidal people have a combination

Of both, reactive depression and endogenous depression. Others could have depression which is undiagnosed. (Social Components in Depression: Scheff, Thomas J.)

There are many signs to depressed teens who feel they want to committee suicide. It is important for parents, friends and family to pay attention because if possible, they should try to prevent it. Just a few sings of suicidal teens are: significant changes in eating and sleeping habits, withdrawal from family and friends, loss of interest in once pleasurable activities, rebellious behavior or violent actions, running away, dramatic change in clothing, and marked personality changes. These are only a few of the possible signs.