Suicide and the youth (katie Major 5:30 wednesday)

Today marks the day 5 years ago that one of my best friends took her own life. At the young age of 15 she decided that her life wasnt worth living; or was it?! Jamie was found in her private bathrooms bathtub with her wrists slit. There was a note left near the bathroom sink. She said that she didnt want to die but that she didnt see any other way to end the pain that she was enduring. (her mother dying from cancer and her father left when she was only 2 years old) Jamies story is one that i will always remember. Most people when they think of teen suicide have mixed feelings but you dont know how much it really hurts untill you experiece it first hand. Like i did. With Jamie we knew why she did whay she did to an extent but many other familes have no anwers and never will.

Now many will ask? Didnt you see the signs? Considering that we were 16 years old and her mother was dying it seemed only “normal” the way that she was feeling. As any other child would feel after loosing one parent and on the verge of loosing another. Although Jamie never talked about killing herself she was a very depressed young girl. I never want another friend to have to go through what my friends went through. Belive it or not but teen suicide is a growing problem is America today. I would just like to inform you on how you can help someone that you know that may be suicidal, and make you aware of some of the outragious statistics.

My Research has found the following:

According to the Center for disease and control

All suicides

• Number of deaths: 33,300
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 11.1
• Cause of death rank: 11

Firearm suicides

• Number of deaths: 16,883
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 5.6

Suffocation suicides

• Number of deaths: 7,491
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.5

Poisoning suicides

• Number of deaths: 6,109
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 2.0

There were also 594,00 documented cases of emergency department visits for self inflicted injury.

Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2006, tables B, 18

From 1991 to 2003, suicide rates were consistently higher among those 65 years and older compared to the younger age groups. The suicide rates in this age group declined from 19.70 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 14.22 suicides per 100,000 in 2006. The suicide rates also declined among those 10 to 24 years from 9.24 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 7.01 suicides per 100,000 in 2006. Suicide rates among those 25-64 years declined from 15.07 suicides per 100,000 in 1991 to 13.43 suicides per 100,000 in 2000. From 2000 to 2006, the suicide rates among the 25-64 year age group increased to surpass the rate of those 65 years and older in 2004 and again in 2006.

There are many signs that can be indicators that someone is going to try and commit suicide. The following is just a few.

• depressed mood;
• substance abuse;
• frequent episodes of running away or being incarcerated;
• family loss or instability, significant problems with parent;
• expressions of suicidal thoughts, or talk of death or the afterlife during moments of sadness or boredom;
• withdrawal from friends and family;
• difficulties in dealing with sexual orientation;
• no longer interested in or enjoying activities that once were pleasurable;
• unplanned pregnancy; and
• impulsive, aggressive behavior, frequent expressions of rage

Again i would like to point out that some people do not show any signs at all and still have suicidal tendencies.

I would like to make it clear that there are other options besides suicide. There are many programs that are designed to help people that are in need.

This entry was posted on 31. October 2009 at 22:54 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.