Teen Suicide

"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." I feel that it isn't the right solution, that there are other options. This is one reason why I chose teen suicide as my I-search topic. I have had personal experience with teen suicide involving my friends, and the next time that one of my friends comes to me saying, "I want to die." I want to be able to understand where they are coming from and how I can help them. I also chose this topic because I want to educate others on how serious of a problem teen suicide really is.

Teen suicide as an extremely complex tragedy, that unfortunately happens all the time throughout the United States. There are friends, parents, and peers that are facing the misfortune of losing a young, close, loved one to suicide. Most people don't realize that adolescent suicide is common. They don't want to believe how often this occurs in the secure environment found in the small towns of America, as well as in its largest cities.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds, and the sixth leading cause for 5 to 14 year olds. Suicide accounts for twelve percent of the mortality in the adolescent and young adult group. Young males are more common than young woman suicides. These are only children who followed through with the suicide. For every successful suicide there are fifty to one hundred adolescent suicide attempts. In other words, more than five percent of all teenagers tried to commit suicide, and the number is still rising. It is scary to think that four percent of high school students have made a suicide attempt within the previous twelve months. In a small safe town like Avon, in the Avon High School where you and I practically live, you can see the faces of 22 students that have tried to commit suicide. That is enough to fill a classroom.