Teenage Suicide
The killing of own life intentionally is referred as suicide. Over the past
years, American society has been concerned about this issue, especially
teenage suicide. The suicide rate among teenagers is not constant for a period
of time; it keeps changing over time. Most of the time, the suicide rate among
boys is greater than that among girls.
Different types of people in our society respond to this issue in different
ways. Earlier in this year, some 932 parents of adolescents completed a
questionnaire of 30 common psychological medical concerns of adolescence,
among which suicide was one item. They were asked how important it is for
pediatricians to discuss these with their kids during checkups. The result
showed that more than 66% of the parents being questioned said 29 of the 30
items were important to be discussed with their teenage children. This survey
showed that American parents are somehow concerned about suicide among
teenagers. This concern is pervasive among American teenagers. In 1993, a
national survey of adolescents about their knowledge of, and attitudes toward,
youth suicide was made. The survey reulted that 60% of the teenagers reported
knowing another teen who had attempted suicide while 6% reported having
make an attempt themselves.
The above two examples indicates that it is very important for parents,
counselors, or different institutions to become aware of the reasons and
symptons of teenage suicide and to find out possible preventive procedures.
Recently, an examination of suicide rates among Black and White adolescents
from 1986 to 1991 was made. It showed that suicide rate among girls of all
ethnicities remained stable. Also, the rate for White boys were pretty much
stabilized; however, the rate for Black and other minority boys increased
significantly. Those increases were more rapid in areas where suicide rates
were historically low. This phenomenon tells that there are various kinds of
reasons for suicide and different types of methods for suicide are also being
used.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s in Oxford, the rate of deliberate
self-poisoning and self-injury in older female teenagers declined, but it increased
again between 1986 and 1989. For male adolescents, self-poisoning with minor
tanquillizers and sedatives had declined, but paracetamol self-poisoning
increased in that period. In Zimbabwe, young women during 1970s used poison
as the method of suicide; however, self-immolation was frequently being used in
the mid 1980s.
There are various types of reasons why teenagers commit suicide.
Suicide in teenagers is sometimes linked to, or in relation with, vision therapy. It
was argued that an inadequate level of concentration or short attention span of a
patient is a common cause for the academic, personality, and behavioral
symptoms. Therefore, unless treated well, these symptoms might lead to
committing suicide.
The reasons for gay, lesbian, or bisexual adolescents committing suicide
are a little different than other teenagers. Research shows that gay, lesbian, or
bisexual teenagers often lack peer support and positive role models, and
therefore, find it difficult to establish a positive adolescent identity. As a result,
a
large number of them suffer from psychological dysfunction, running away,
droping out of school, prostitution, violence, AIDS or other sexually transmitted
diseases. Eventually, these dangerous behaviors sometimes lead them to
suicide.
Teenagers may also want to commit suicide if they are sexually or
physically molested for a certain period of time. In 1992, data from 352 pregnant
adolescents (aged 12-19) were collected, in which 80 acknowledged having
been physically or sexually abused, and 40 admitted to having suicidal ideation
or actions. In 1994, two cases of Italian teenagers who had attempted suicide
were discussed and compared. The suicide attempt of a 17-year old female is
traced to masochistic impulses based on a sense of guilt, while that of a 18-year
old male is explained by a narcissistic neurosis stemming from a sense of
shame.
A panal formed by national medical and educational associations issued
a report in 1993, which painted a dire picture of the state of adolescent health.
The analysis of the report presented youth problems, including social and
emotional problems, school performance, drug use, drinking and driving,
violence in school, pregnancy, crime, etc. as common reasons for and
characteristics of a teen's self-destructive nature, which eventually leads him or
her to suicide.
In Canada, researches were made to figure out the reasons for teenage
suicide. It showed lack of moral parental support, an over-permissive
educational climate, and doubtful economic prospects as placing pressures on
the fragile ego and the still-unformed identity of teenagers. In this situation,
some react with drug abuse, dilinquency, or compulsively sought scholastic
achievement, while others, unable to cope with these psychological pressures,
commit suicide. Sometimes, there is a relationship between network TV news
stories and subsequent suicides. For example, some teenagers (also adults)
may react deeply to a sudden news presented, and eventually, it might cause
them to commit suicide.
During the past two decades, the incidence of suicide and suicide
attempts among U.S. gifted students has steadily increased. There are many
reasons for these suicides. In addition to the usual stressors, gifted teenagers
also confront such issues as perfectionism, societal expectation to achieve,
differential development of intellectual and social skills, and impotence to effect
real-world change. These kinds of difficulties sometimes make the gifted
teenagers to commit suicide.
Another one of the most important reasons for teenage suicide is
depression. Depression can occur due to various factors. A survey in 1990
showed that depression has a strong correlation with suicidal preoccupation
than shyness, allienation, or academic performance. Also, reports said that
chronic self-destructiveness in teenagers is related to depression and suicidal
preoccupation. Both chronic self-destructiveness and depression are associated
with suicidal ideation.
Since teenage suicide has been a burning issue, it is important to take
efforts to prevent such an incident. Recently, a review of a literature indicated a
need for suicide awareness and prevention programs for the early identification
of teenagers at risk for suicidal behaviors. In this case, the most logical and
appropriate location for suicide prevention programs and activities is in the
schools where the greatest numbers can be reached. Since the issue is
involved with teenagers, high schools are the best place to set prevention
programs. Therefore, in a joint effort, school personnel and the master's-
prepared psychiatric mental health nurse specialists may be able to decrease
significantly the number of suicidal behaviors among adolescents.?
Teenage suicide can also be reduced by properly treating adolescents
with learning disabilities (LDs). In general, those with non-verbal LDs eventually
attempt suicide at some point than those without LDs. Therefore, optometrists
should be aware of patients with learning disabilities and refer them to mental
health professionals when indications of depression is observed. In this way,
many teenagers can be prevented from committing suicide.
A few years ago, the American Academy of Child Psychiatry identified
some warning signals indicating possible suicide such as: changes in eating and
sleeping habits, violent or rebellious behaviors, etc. In these kinds of situations,
counselors can play a vital role for preventing suicide in teenagers. Most of the
time, counselors are the first professionals confronted with symptoms or threats
of suicide. They can apply coping techniques, which include anxiety reduction,
creating hope, and improving adolescents' communication skills to reduce the
risk of suicide. In 1991, a journal stated some risk factors for suicide to which
prevention procedures can rationally be directed. Suicide prevention
interventions include hotline and crisis services, school-based educational and
screening procedures, effective treatment of suicide attempts, and minimizing
opportunities for suicide. These methods may become helpful in preventing
teenage suicide.
It is sometimes very difficult to eliminate a crisis completely from the
society. Likewise, teenage suicide is also not quite easy to wipe out from the
American society. However, people in general, parents of adolescents,
teachers, counselors, and other kinds of social workers can work together to
fight against teenage suicide.
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