Cause of Teenage Suicide
Samip Gandhi
Instructor
Course
11 June, 2011 Causes of teenage suicide Suicide among the young people continues to be a serious problem facing our modern society. Studies have shown that thousands of teenagers commit suicide in the United States year after year (Tatarelli, 216). According to Corr (499), suicide has emerged as the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5-to-14-year-olds. As teenagers learn diverse social roles, develop new relationships, experience changes in their bodies and make decisions about their future they face many challenges. They may not be able to cope with feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty and other fears while they are growing up. Hence, they may take suicide as the solution to their problems and stress. Since they appear vulnerable category in the generation, there is need for significant efforts to understand factors that contribute to the high rates suicide and address them accordingly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, surpassed only by accidents and homicide.” The causes behind teen’s suicide or attempted suicide can be complex. This is because suicide is rarely caused of one factor. The causes discussed in essay are depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, social rejection, relationship breakup and peer pressure. Depression is considered one of the major causes of teenage suicide and can be caused by many factors. Parents should be able to identify when a teenager is depressed and advise them accordingly. Some notable characteristics for a depressed teenager include sadness, anxiety, irritability, feeling of worthlessness, dramatic changes in weight, withdrawal from friends and violent actions. Experts have established that depression increases the risk of first suicide attempt by at least
Instructor
Course
11 June, 2011 Causes of teenage suicide Suicide among the young people continues to be a serious problem facing our modern society. Studies have shown that thousands of teenagers commit suicide in the United States year after year (Tatarelli, 216). According to Corr (499), suicide has emerged as the third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5-to-14-year-olds. As teenagers learn diverse social roles, develop new relationships, experience changes in their bodies and make decisions about their future they face many challenges. They may not be able to cope with feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty and other fears while they are growing up. Hence, they may take suicide as the solution to their problems and stress. Since they appear vulnerable category in the generation, there is need for significant efforts to understand factors that contribute to the high rates suicide and address them accordingly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds, surpassed only by accidents and homicide.” The causes behind teen’s suicide or attempted suicide can be complex. This is because suicide is rarely caused of one factor. The causes discussed in essay are depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, social rejection, relationship breakup and peer pressure. Depression is considered one of the major causes of teenage suicide and can be caused by many factors. Parents should be able to identify when a teenager is depressed and advise them accordingly. Some notable characteristics for a depressed teenager include sadness, anxiety, irritability, feeling of worthlessness, dramatic changes in weight, withdrawal from friends and violent actions. Experts have established that depression increases the risk of first suicide attempt by at least