Suicide Awareness

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death among the United States. (Roxanne Dryden-Edwards) By definition homicide is the killing of a human being by another human being, but suicide is the act of killing oneself intentionally. Suicide awareness needs to be raised by knowing what suicide is, teaching others about suicide, and the effects of suicide. Each year in the United States over 300,000 individuals will attempt suicide, with approximately 32,000 taking their own life. (Dana Lizardi) The most common causes of suicide are the breaking up of a romantic relationship, moving, loss (especially if by suicide) of a friend, loss of freedom, or the loss of other privileges. Normally when people hear that someone has committed suicide they automatically think that the person was depressed. Depression is not the only risk factor in suicide. The National Institute of Mental Health says that 90 percent of all suicide “completers” display some form of diagnosed mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disease. (Kendall Harmon) Other major risk factors of suicide are anxiety, stress, eating disorders, and abuse (in family). The biggest contributor to suicide is bullying, or cyber-bullying. A mom of a bullied teen shares her pitied story of how her daughter committed suicide to the Brookfield News. She discovered her 13 year-old daughter Megan hanging in her closet with a suicide note. The note stated that she was being bullied at school by the “popular” girls and boys. This is only one example of bullying that has led to a suicide case. If Megan would have told someone about the kids that bullied her then maybe she would be alive today. It needs to get across that snitching isn’t always bad. “The bully bystander needs to stand up.” (Tine Meier) Suicide is an event that cannot be ignored, minimized, or untreated. The warning signs of suicide are withdrawal from family or peers, use of alcohol and/or drugs, decline in school performance, increased irritability,