Why do Teens Contemplate to Suicide

8/7/2019 Why do Teens Contemplate to Suicide

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The suicide among the Teenager

Boyuan Li

General Psychology, Class 11:30-12:20

Professor Costa

Nov 24, 2010


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The suicide among the Teenager

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

the ages of 15 and 24, the teenager 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 are added.

The teenage years are a period of turmoil for just about everyone. You are

learning new social roles, developing new relationships, getting used to the

changes in your body, and making decisions about your future. And when you are

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


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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 must sadness. But it 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 that 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. 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 dysphasia with

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


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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 the 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 has 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

Freuds 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


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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 believe that a society 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.


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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 change in eatinghelp when the

concerns persist. Signs and symptoms include: Withdrawal from friends, and

family and regular sleeping habits. Drug and Violent actions, rebellious behavior

or running away activities. Marked personality, unusual neglect of personal

appearance. Alcohol abuse. Persistent boredom, difficult concentrating, or a

decline in the change. frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often

quality of schoolwork. Loss of related to emotions, such as stomachaches,

headaches, fatigue, etc. Not tolerating praise or rewards. Young interest in

pleasurable activities. People who are depressed and suicidal often hide those

feelings at home and 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


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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. 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.


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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.


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Bibliography

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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Why do Teens Contemplate to Suicide