Suicide

So, I'm just a regular teen with little or no cares in the world. I

listen to music and I do some of the things normal teens engage in. I

was never depressed, barely ever sad, and had a pretty good time

coming home and going out to dinner with my family. Then one night I

came home and my friend and i were sitting on the couch and mom pulled

me into the other room and told me that her and dad couldn't possible

stay married if they fight and argue all of the time. Since we are not

doing too well we might have to sell the house and get different

places. She said that together as a married couple they make to much

money to apply for housing, and that was another important reason to

get a divorce. She told me to take my brother and my sister to

Grandma's house and stay there all day long till she called us and

made us come home. I was the only one besides my mom and her friend,

Nina that knew about all of this. So that night I went to give my

brother and my sister hugs and I went to bed. I wanted to tell them so

badly, but i couldn't. A couple weeks later my mom told me the divorce

was finalized and she wanted to tell my siblings and I. That night

after everyone was done with their dinner, mom and dad sat us all down

for a family meeting in the living room. She sat in the rocking chair

and she told us about how her and dad are friends now and they wont

fight as much anymore and how one day they will need to separate and

we can see them whenever we wanted to. I looked over to my father

(48) and saw him holding back tears. Then I looked over to my little

brother Josh who was starting to cry. I felt horrible. I looked at my

sister, whose five, and she didn't understand what was going on. She

asked if Daddy was going to leave. My other brother Jon-Paul didn't

look like this affected him. This paper is about Teen Suicide. It is

not a laughable subject. This essay provides examples of warning

signs that a teen is contemplating suicide, people mostly at risk, why

the media i responsible for teens feeling suicidal, statistics, risk

factors, and what parents out there need to know.

" Every year thousands die in North America, not from Cancer or heart

attacks but by their own hand"

(http://library.thinkquest.org/12333/page.html) Warning signs of

suicide include changes in eating and sleeping habits and withdrawal

from friends family and regular activities where a teen who normally

engaged in family activities doesn't anymore. Instead the teen wasn't

to be secluded. Rebelling and Violence could occur as well and a teen

will try to run away. Some teens would turn to drugs and alcohol,

while others will turn to cutting. In other cases, a teen will neglect

their personal appearance by not taking good care of themselves and

wearing dirty clothes, and not clean themselves. Some teens will have

personality changes where they used to be happy but now they never

smile or laugh they are all alone. Another warning sign would be where

a teenager will complain about physical symptoms and have a loss of

interest in things that used to interest them. A teen who is

contemplating suicide may also complain that they have nothing, no one

loves them, and they are worthless. They might make statements such as

"I won't be a problem to you much longer" or "nothing matters" or it's

no use i won't see you again." Some teens might even put affairs in

order and give away all of their stuff and when cleaning their

bedroom they may throw away important items . Some teens are more at

risk than others.

"The suicide rate is substantially higher among first nations teens"

(http://library.thinkquest.org/12333/page.html) Any teen who is going

through an Identity Crisis trying to become a citizen is at risk. The

identity crisis is more than enough pressure for them. On top of that,

they are forced to live in a world where racism is a huge issue. They

need to struggle to learn how to speak the language, read the books,

fit in at an English speaking school. Drugs and Alcohol affects 70

percent of the first nations population. It causes unemployment,

poverty, and prison time. The unemployed is at risk also because of

the low income, a man who used to be able to support his family now

cannot and therefore feels he has failed. Young boys/men are also at

risk for committing suicide. The ratio of young men to young women

suicide is 4:1. Young women do however "attempt" suicide four times

more