Teen Suicide

Teen Suicide

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry teen suicides have become a serious issue in today's teens. AACAP says that the third cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 and the sixth for individuals between the ages of 5 to 14 is suicide. A study given by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that suicide attempts were most prevalent for white (5.6 percent) and Hispanic (5.5 percent) girls and least prevalent for black (1.6 percent) and white (1.9 percent) boys. The study also breaks down risks and protective factors that seem to affect one or two racial, ethnic or gender groups but not all. For example, boys were more at risk if they carried weapons at school or experienced a same-sex romantic attraction. Easy household access to guns was most predictive of suicidal behavior for black and Hispanic boys, and school-provided counseling was most protective for Hispanic girls. The study concluded that a better understanding of factors that predict and protect against suicidal behaviors is important for developing culturally responsive prevention and intervention strategies. (AAP)

In a current survey given by the American Academy of Pediatrics to high school students showed that 60% of them admitted to thinking about suicide and about 9% of them have attempted it. Studies have also shown that among these students that the majority of them were boys.

There are signs a parent or guardian can look out for. Some of these signs may be: dramatic personality change, withdrawal from friends and family, rebelling in severe and unusual ways, grades at school have decreased significantly, Writing notes or poems to him or herself or others about death, running away from home, pregnancy, eating habits have changed, Talked about suicide in a angry or even jokingly way, personal appearance, loss of interest in fun activities with many more. Others may complain about ones self of feeling worthless, not caring, and of not wanting to be around anymore. Some may start throwing person favorite items away or may start hallucinating or having bizarre thoughts (AACAP).

Researchers suspect there are many reasons for the increase of teen suicides. One study showed that 90% of the teens who were suicidal said that the reason for wanting to commit suicide was because they felt that there parents did not understand them. (AAP) Some of the other reasons shown was because it is easier to get the necessities to commit suicide (examples: Gun or Pills), the television and newspapers are publicizing more crime and violence then ever before. Competition for better grades and college acceptance are in a much greater demand and the pressures for modern life are much higher (AAP).

Suicide is preventable and parents can do something to help. The parents should reassure there child that they love them, ask your child if they feel or have felt like committing suicide, Ask him or her to talk about how they feel and what there troubles are, talk to there pediatrician to seek professional help.

I look back on the days I was a teenager and I realize now that I had several problems. I was out of control and I really did not care. My family was dysfunctional and argued on a daily basis. At thirteen I beat up my mom. I would run away, skip school, drink, smoke, and I just didn't care. I felt I never fit in. In 9th grade I left regular high school and went to an alternative high school which did a lot more damage in some ways but then helped in others. This is where I met my boyfriend (at the time) and ended up engaging in premarital sex. After just three months I became pregnant. I was scared and not sure of what to do. I decided to wait until I was four months before telling my parents. I wasn't sure how to tell them so I wrote a note. They were both very upset with me especially my father who didn't speak to me for months after. As the months went on, I become much closer to my boyfriend. I decided I was going to move with him to Wisconsin. With all efforts to keep me around my parents decided to allow him to move in with us in trade of me staying home. We agreed and after the baby came my boyfriend and I moved out and got an apartment. I was still in school and he had just graduated. This was the biggest