Teen Suicide free essay sample

Teenage suicide is a major issue in today’s society; suicide is the intentional taking of one’s own life and is a severe issue that should be addressed worldwide as quickly as possible. Teen suicide has been the topic of many news headlines; yet, it still continues to have a strong effect on today’s youth. In the United States, suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for Americans, and for young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. This is extremely remarkable due to the fact that teen suicide is one of the hardest ways to prevent death from occurring. There are quite a number of misdirected beliefs that surround the subject of teenage suicide. For example many who want to commit don’t give warning signs; when someone is strongly thinking of suicide they will almost always show warning signs before being suicidal. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Suicide or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are a number of things that can draw someone in to commit suicide. One main reason that has been proven to be the principal cause is mental illness. Other causes can be from bullying, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, or physical abuse. Many people in their lifetime will go through periods of anxiety, sadness or despair. These are normal reactions to pain, rejection, or even disappointment. People that suffer from mental illness that can be more severe, have serious reactions to being hopelessness. Bullying is becoming one of the leading causes of suicide in today’s society, if you watch television or media it is not uncommon to hear different news stories explaining how a teenager committed suicide as a result of being bullied. Bullying has been a controversy in schools throughout the United States for many years now, and I believe to the fullest extent that it will only continue unless we all as a nation do something to end it. I do believe schools have discussed many major issues when it comes to bullying but there still is a lot more that can be done to prevent these issues from occurring. The more talking about the topic the more it will continue to decrease throughout the countries. The majority of bullying takes place as children grow up in their middle school and high school years. Not all kids are the nice ones, some can be very cruel and cold hearted. Peer pressure is a reason to why kids bully one another. Cyber, physical and emotional bullying are all different ways to bully someone. Bullying someone is not always what is seen on TV, video games, internet, movies or music. It is known that bullying has become a more serious problem in today’s society. It can affect people of all ages, and suicide is only one form of bullying out of many. We should all think of a plan to stop this from occurring so frequently. There are many myths when it comes to bullying such as why bullies are bullies. Many people say that once you are bullied, you always are going to be a victim; this statement can be true but doesn’t affect all people. Some victims may bully others because it happened to them in the past. Other people can experience bullying just by hanging with the wrong peers or changing their personality. People who were the shy and quiet ones growing up tend to break out their shell and become ones to be less affected by bullying. You can see many different examples of situations like this that take place in colleges around the world. It gets bad as you grow up sometimes you don’t think what you say to someone can affect them the way it does; you do not know everyone’s life outside of work or school. Teenage suicide and suicide in general has grown so rapidly that you often here celebrities or TV stars mentioning how to stop or prevent it. You go on YouTube and you see people make videos that have been affected by this or no someone that have been traumatized. They often mention how getting bullied is a natural part of growing up. Statistics show that bullying does not make children more resilient; instead this causes them to do the complete opposite and feel more exposed to danger. Everyday people may think the only place to get bullied at is in school as you grow up but it’s not true. There are other people liable of doing this act, a person can be bullied by a peer, a co-worker, family member- such as older siblings, and even sports coaches can make you feel some type of way. There are many programs that try to stop bullying from taking place. Not only do they try to stop this matter but they help victims to overcome what they experienced. Some of the programs they have include, B. R. A. V. A ( Bully Resistance And Violence Avoidance Program), Champions Against Bullying, Amazing Play Program, I Decide, Peace by PEACE, T. E. A. C. H (Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia), Reach for the Stars, Stand Up Against Bullying, and many more. People around the nation are constantly opening up organizations to stop this act from growing. It is known that people do not take it as serious as it should be in today’s society. Bullying affects people of all ages, races, sizes, suicide is just one of many consequences that take place because of bullying. People don’t understand or know what it feels like to be bullied until it happens to you. We as a whole are the ones doing the bullying whether it’s directly or indirectly, so it’s up to us to find a way to end it. Many people believe that it’s hard to know when an individual is contemplating suicide. Just like they say that suicide can’t be prevented and they assume that after the suicide is committed that it’s from depression. Individuals that contemplate on suicide normally show some type of fair warning of what they are thinking or planning. Majority of the time they will give a warning before they actually follow through. As long as people do not take warning signs for granted, then it should be easier to explain to the person or loved ones that living is definitely worth all the struggles and hardships people face. According to Canadian Mental Health Association, some warning signs include: expressions of feeling hopelessness, desperation, behavior that is out of the ordinary, sleeplessness, depression, social withdrawal, no appetite, also speaking of final wishes, speaking of death and dying, or a strong expression to commit suicide. Drug and alcohol abuse, stress, and reckless behavior are also serious but common warning signs; also another sign is if the person already attempted to take his/her life. Just because someone attempts to commit suicide once does not mean they will not contemplate it two, three, even four times. Symptoms of suicide can and should be easily detected; therefore, suicide can be easily prevented. Recognizing these signs can make suicide less likely to occur rapidly. Some antidepressants, support groups, or therapy are some solutions that will keep people from wanting suicide. It is not accurate to believe that once someone contemplates suicide, there is not a way to stop them from killing themselves. There’s way to talk to someone to stop them from wanting to take their lives. Talking with someone directly whether you’re close to them or they’re just a friend it can be very helpful whether you think it or not. Sometimes all people need is someone that will listen to them and not judge, to support them when they are unable to move on. Some people are very hesitant to address the subject to another person because it will give away the signs of contemplating suicide. Talking to someone will more often help rather than harm one, the worst thing to do is just sit around and do nothing. Just being there to try and guide someone who is thinking of suicide can really make a gigantic difference in changing their decisions. Helpguide. org states in their article, â€Å"Suicide Prevention: Spotting the Signs and Helping a Suicidal Person†, that Talking to a friend or family member about their suicidal thoughts and feelings can be extremely difficult for anyone. But if youre unsure whether someone is suicidal, the best way to find out is to ask. You cant make a person suicidal by showing that you care. In fact, giving a suicidal person the opportunity to express his or her feelings can provide relief from loneliness and pent-up negative feelings, and may prevent a suicide attempt. Another common belief about suicide is that every person who commits suicide is depressed; this is what all people jump to even media. Although it is said that depression is the leading cause this is not always the case. There are other factors that play a part to teenage suicide. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are other mental disorders that have been proven to cause a role in suicide. According to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers have a higher chance of committing suicide than other teens. Also, according to a study that was completed in 2001, 48% of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth have said that their contemplation of suicide was because of sexual preference; they also been known to report their attempted suicide. People should never jump to conclusions about suicide thoughts, they should find out the facts. By doing this you can end up saving someone else’s life for the better. As I mentioned before, bullying is becoming the major factor of teenage suicide. There are other aspects also that a play a serious role. There are numerous ways and reasons that teens feel the need to want to commit suicide; anywhere from family problems or even a bad relationship break-up. This can ultimately push someone to the edge and not want to be living anymore. The little things can even drive someone to take their own life. Surprisingly, anywhere from 12-25% of teenagers have thought or vision suicide. When teenagers begin planning their suicides, it increases the chances of them acting out. According to Cooper University Hospital, anywhere from eight to twenty-five people may attempt to kill themselves, but only one of those eight to twenty-five people actually succeed. Only about 10% of people who have committed suicide were not suffering from mental illness. A mental illness can be considered anything from depression to bipolar depression; it may be the leading cause of death but it is treatable in all aspects. There are numerous factors that play a part in teenage suicide. Being a teenager we all know is not the easiest thing. We all went through the years, whether it was perfect or we struggled. A lot of changes occur during ones teenage years such as, puberty, changes in body types, changes in thoughts, and changes in feelings. According to teendepression. org, alcohol and drug addictions, previous suicide attempts, a recent loss in family or friend, a break-up, or parents’ divorce, even an overall feeling of hopelessness, have all been proven to be causes of teen suicide in the past years. It is also said that a lot of teens are scared to get help due to the fear of being made fun of or judged in a different aspect. Just about half of the teens reported to have committed suicide have unsuccessfully attempted to kill themselves before. As a matter of fact WebMD states that between 20% and 50%, around one third, of teenagers who commit suicide have previously attempted to do so. Parents should take some of these statistics into consideration at home, you can yell at your child the wrong way and it can lead to suicide. Parents also yell or get mad over a failing test that they can try to better on next time; to them it’s the end of the world. Parents can always try to encourage their kids but there is a line between helping and pressuring them. There is one factor that has been reported to be the biggest influence, and this remains to be mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI) states that a majority of teens who commit suicide had a mental disorder that could have been diagnosed before, in fact, approximately 90% of people who have attempted to do so or committed suicide were victims of severe mental illness. According to NAMI, some symptoms that teens who are suffering from disorders include extreme personality changes, loss of interest in doing things they loved, trouble sleeping, neglect of how they dress or act, dramatic drop in school grades or severe anxiety. The worst part about the fact is that mental illness can be treated, therefore it should be prevented. Teens with bipolar disorder are more likely to commit suicide due to the fact that although they think they’re fine, they are actually depressed inside. Depression is highly treatable, but the problem with a lot of teens is they do not know they are depressed. When this happens they cannot get the right treatment to overcome this. They also do not realize that there are other solutions rather than jumping to suicide thoughts first. People don’t often don’t realize the short-term and long-term effects that can never be reversed. When depression is properly treated, a person’s thoughts on suicide become more coherent, which is then less likely for them to attempt suicide. Overall there are many things that can cause a person to commit suicide; mental illness is currently the leading reason. Suicide is 100% preventable; antidepressant drugs have proved to be highly effective in helping teens and everyone that uses. The reason as to why so many teens thinks it’s alright to bully and tease others is because it continues to always happen no matter where you’re from. As I’ve stated previously, a majority of suicide comes from planning and giving some type of warning that indicate they’re thinking suicide. Through much time and research, I have found that a lot, not all, of suicides that take place can easily be prevented. I find it sad that people don’t take this matter serious. After all I done for this essay I wish I can help victims that went through this and families that lost loved ones. While some teens suffer from depression or anxiety issues, others are victims of other bullying or abuse. People around the world need to realize that all our actions will have a reaction, whether good or bad, happy or sad. When we bully or mistreat someone we never think to remember how they feel. If people were all warmhearted and considerate of others feelings, then I am almost sure to think there will be a lot less suicide occurring daily. When someone gives up on life itself, it is ultimately up to the family or friends around them to help pick their spirits back up. We need to end this as a whole and think of our actions every second and minute before doing something. Think about others too, it’s part of the golden rule. Life is not always just about you and what occurs in your daily activities there are millions even billions around you.