Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): Teenage Suicide:

Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): Teenage Suicide: 

    Teenage Suicide seems to be growing into a very serious issue these days. Recently, I have sadly experienced knowing someone from my high school who has committed suicide. What boggles my mind the most however, is the fact that this kid was very happy, always laughing, and was in the top 10 of my graduating class. He eventually went on to Cornell University where he had planned on graduating. Everyone was in shock when they heard the startling news. However, apparently the pressure and stress of school got to him, so he jumped off a bridge and his body was sadly found two days later in a gorge. A note was left as well. According to teensuicide.us, many teenagers have had thoughts of death. Stress can be a result of this.    

      The National Institute of Mental Health believes that as many as 25 suicides are attempted for each one that is completed. That means that for every teen suicide that you hear of, there are probably at least 25 suicide attempts made. That is a pretty scary number. There are also many statistics between genders. For example, males are four times more likely to die from suicide then females; however teen girls make more attempts to end their lives than teenage boys. Suicide is known to be the third leading cause of death for teenagers. This issue seems to be rising throughout out world today, and clearly more common than ever in teenagers.   

       It has caused a social change in the sense that teenagers today clearly feel more alone and hopeless, that they feel the need to end their life. In my own personal opinion, ending your life is selfish. There are many ways to get help, and you do not need to result in ending your life forever. There is always therapy, your friends, and family. Committing suicide not only hurts you in the end, but also ends up hurting your family in the long run. The people who care about you the most will be very hurt. When the boy at my high school past away, I have never seen so many people care so much about someone. The way they expressed their love and feelings for him on a Facebook group made for him blew me away. People really did care about this boy, but why he committed this horrific act, we will never fully know, except for the fact he clearly was stressed over life and wanted it to end.   

       Some of the strongest factors of teen suicides and signs include: aggressive behavior, disruptive behavior, substance abuse, depression, and much more. In addition, some other warning signs of teen suicide include a lack or loss of interest in things, behavioral problems, changes in eating habits, emotional distress, sleep changes, etc. If you feel that a loved one or someone close to you is suffering from any of these occurrences, you should seek them help as soon as possible.    Furthermore, there are treatments and steps that can be taken for someone who is having thoughts about suicide. For someone who has either attempted or talked about it, group therapy, family therapy, and hospitalization are three important steps that can bet taken. Also, if people are educated on teen suicide and the warning signs, we can help prevent teens and people who feel the need to end their life and to stop them before it’s too late. Some popular organizations which help in prevention include: The Youth Suicide Prevention Program, The National Institute of Mental Health, and Yellowribbon.org just to name a few.  “Teen Suicide.” 2005. Teen Suicide Prevention. Teensuicide.us. 21 Feb. 2010 http://www.teensuicide.us/articles1.html 

This entry was posted on 21. February 2010 at 22:45 and is filed under Mr. Andoscia, Introduction to Sociology. 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.