РефератыИностранный языкTeTeen Suicide Essay Research Paper Why do

Teen Suicide Essay Research Paper Why do

Teen Suicide Essay, Research Paper


Why do Teens Contemplate to Suicide? As the third largest cause of death between


the ages of 15 and 24, the adolescent suicide rate has tripled since 1960. This


is the only age group in which an increase has occurred over the last three


decades. While there are approximately 10,000 reported teen suicides annually,


it is estimated that the number of teen suicides is actually three to four times


that number when unreported deaths and suicide equivalents are added. The


teenage years are a period of turmoil for just about everyone. You`re learning


new social roles, developing new relationships, getting used to the changes in


your body, and making decisions about your future. And when you`re looking for


answers to problems, it can seem like no one has them. That can make a person


feel quite alone. Teenagers experience strong feelings, confusion, self-doubt,


pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up.


Teenagers commit suicide because there is too much pain in their lives and they


can do one of the two things; move from the pain or learn to cope with the pain.


While some teenagers learn to cope with the pain, others attempt suicide.


Suicide among young people have increased nationwide in the recent years and it


is important that everyone is aware of the major causes, symptoms, and methods


of prevention of this self-inflicted death. To further understand suicide, one


must take a look at the different reasons behind the act itself. Suicide is not


a genetic disease, but rather a series of events that are very depressing or


stressful. Without depression, most people would not attempt to take their own


lives. Depression is a vital issue in almost every suicide attempt. The victim


feels very depressed and everything seems to be going the wrong way. Depression


is not just sadness. Depression is a mild form mental illness, which can be


permanent or temporary. It can be simple things like the loss of interest in


usual activities. The start of what leads a person to suicide does not have


anything to do with the person`s present life experiences, but with their early


childhood experiences. This is because the view of others, outside family and


friends, has no contribution to the pain that causes suicide and depression.


Depression can include self-pity, shame, envy, and grandiosity. All of these


things play a role in depression one way or another. Depressed people are


usually subject to desire and grandiose ideation. Grandiosity is best described


as when a person starts thinking they are above everyone and everything else.


They absurdly exaggerate many things in their lives just for attention it brings


them. Envy, another cause of depression, has two aspects. In its primary sense,


envy is the experience of pain when a person sees that someone else has


something desirable, which he would like. Envy is also the experience of


pleasure, when the person who has that desired quality suffers misfortune.


Shame, in depression, is usually aimed inward toward the victim, or depressed


person. When self-pity, another depression mode, is thought of , it usually


brings up the feelings of being sad or angry for mistakes that happened in the


past. Depressed adolescents frequently communicate their despair before they act


out in this final act of desperation. Teens tend to reflect their dysphoria with


action rather than words. For example, they are inclined to withdraw from


others, complain of boredom, and have an increasingly difficult time


concentrating. School performance tends to suffer and changes in personality may


include increased aggression. Depression is like a bad dream, but with help, a


person can overcome this bad dream and awake. The biology of the brain,


genetics, psychological traits, and social forces all can contribute to suicide.


Biological research indicates that suicidal behavior runs in families,


suggesting that genetic and biological factors play a role in one`s suicide


risk. Among one community of Amish people in Pennsylvania, almost three-quarters


of all suicides that occurred over a 100-year period were in just four families.


Studies of twins reared apart provide some support for a genetic influence in


suicide. People may inherit a genetic predisposition to certain psychiatric


disorders such as schizophrenia and alcoholism that increase the risk of


suicide. In addition, an inability to control impulsive and violent behavior


have biological roots. Research has found lower than normal levels of substance


associated with the brain chemical serotonin in people with impulsive


aggressiveness. In the early 1900s, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud


developed some of the first psychological theories of suicide. He emphasized the


role of hostility turned against the self. American psychiatrist Karl Menninger


elaborated on Freud`s ideas. He suggested that all suicides have three


interrelated and unconscious dimensions: revenge/hate (a wish to kill),


depression/hopelessness (a wish to die), and guilt (a wish to be killed). An


American psychologist considered to be a pioneer in the modern study of suicide,


Edwin Schneidman, has described several common characteristics of suicides.


These include a sense of unbearable psychological pain, a sense of isolation


from others, and the perception that death is the only solution to problems


about which one feels hopelessness and helpless. Cognitive theorists, who study


how people process information, emphasize the role of inflexible thinking or


tunnel vision and an inability to generate solutions to problems. According to


psychologists, many suicide attempts are a symbolic cry for help, an effort to


reach out and receive attention. Most social scientists be

lieve that a society`s


structure and values can influence suicide rates. French sociologist Emile


Durkheim argued that suicide rates are related to social integration-that is,


the degree to which an individual feels part of a larger group. Durkheim found


suicide was more likely when a person lacked social bonds or had relationships


disrupted through a sudden change in status, such as unemployment. As one


example of the significance of social bonds, suicide rates among adults are


lower for married people than for divorced, widowed, or single people. Studies


consistently show that although suicidal people do not appear to have greater


life stress than others, they lack effective strategies to cope with stress. In


addition, they are more likely than others to have had family loss and turmoil,


such as the death of a family member, separation or divorce of their parents, or


child abuse or neglect. The parents of those who attempt suicide have a greater


frequency of mental illness and substance abuse than other parents. However,


suicide occurs in all types of families, including those with little apparent


turmoil. Suicidal behavior has numerous and complex causes and not just one


event triggers this act of self-injury, however it is a combination of events


that cause an individual to turn to lethal methods. Many of the symptoms of


suicidal feelings are similar to those of depression. Parents should be aware of


the following signs of adolescents who may try to kill themselves. Child and


adolescent psychiatrists recommend that if one or more of these signs occurs,


parents need to talk to their child about their concerns and seek professional


help when the concerns persist. Signs and symptoms include: Ø Change in


eating and sleeping habits. Ø Withdrawal from friends, and family and


regular activities. Ø Violent actions, rebellious behavior or running


away. Ø Drug and alcohol abuse. Ø Unusual neglect of personal


appearance. Ø Marked personality change. Ø Persistent boredom,


difficult concentrating, or a decline in the quality of schoolwork. Ø


Frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such as


stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, etc. Ø Loss of interest in pleasurable


activities. Ø Not tolerating praise or rewards. Young people who are


depressed and suicidal often hide those feelings at home and a school, although


they may confide in their friends, often binding them to secrecy. Some of them,


especially young teens may not be aware what they are feeling is depression.


Depressed teens may fall off dramatically in school performance and have


difficulty in concentration. If a child or adolescent says, I want to kill


myself, one must always take the statement seriously and seek evaluation from a


child and adolescent psychiatrist. With support from family and professional


treatment, children and teenagers who are suicidal can heal and return to a


healthier path of development. Because depression precedes most suicides, early


recognition of depression and treatment through medication and psychotherapy are


important ways of preventing suicide. In general, suicide prevention efforts aim


to identify people with the highest risk of suicide and to intervene before


these individuals become suicidal. A person who observes the many signs of


suicide should ask the individual in question whether he or she is thinking of


suicide. If so, the observer should refer the person to a trained mental health


professional to reduce the immediate risk of suicide and to treat the problems


that led the person to consider suicide. Most suicides can be prevented because


the suicidal state of mind is usually temporary. In the United States, mental


health professionals established the first major suicide-prevention telephone


hotlines in the 1950`s. Counselors or trained volunteers usually staff the


hotlines around the clock. The staff members provide a listening ear to those in


despair and tell callers where they can go to receive professional help. An


increasing number of schools have suicide-prevention programs that trains


students, teachers, and school staff to recognize warning signs and tell them


where to refer students at risk of suicide. Another prevention method involves


restricting access to means of killing oneself. Barriers that prevent people


from jumping off bridges, for example, and restrictions on access to firearms


have shown some effectiveness in reducing suicides. Sometimes, we treat suicide


as a joke or deny it, but if a relative or friend brings it up, one must take it


seriously and take some time to talk about it. Every year more than 35,000


people in America, reportedly die because of suicide. Once again, it is


essential that one is aware of the significant causes, symptoms and signs, and


prevention methods of suicide. A shocking five million people in America have


attempted suicide and failed. There are many signs and reasons people commit and


attempt to commit suicide. They are usually in extreme emotional pain. They do


not see another way out of their problems. These victims of emotions running


rampant need lots of love and understanding. But what they need most is someone


to really listen to them and tell them, I do not want you to die.


Blumental, Susan and Kupfer, Davis. Suicide Across the Life Cycle.


Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1990. Hyde, Margaret O. and


Elizabeth H. Forsythe. Suicide: The Hidden Epidemic. New York: Franklin Watts,


1987. Klerman, Gerald L. Suicide and Depression Among Adolescents and Young


Adults. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, Inc. 1986. Roy, Alec,


editor. Suicide. Baltimore, Maryland: Williams and Wilkins, 1986.

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