How to Reduce Teen Suicide

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The word ‘Suicide,’ as defined by Merriam-Webster.com, is the act of killing yourself because you don’t want to continue living. To most people suicide is a scary word. When someone hears the word ‘suicide’ they go into a different state of mind and almost completely ignore the fact that the word was said, this needs to change. Suicide has become the third leading cause of death in humans ages fifteen to twenty-four. The only other causes higher are accidents and homicide. (Stibich). The rate of teenage suicide has grown rapidly in recent years, and the suffering communities seem to just turn a blind eye on the issue. In an attempt to reduce the atrocity that is teen suicide, some steps need to be taken: suicidal tendencies must be detected at an earlier stage of the suicidal process, treatment of mental illnesses need to be administered and family members and communities involved need to simply just stop and listen.
According to Answers.com a suicidal tendency is when an individual engages in thoughts about suicide or takes specific actions that show suicidal thoughts. There are many examples underneath the title of suicidal tendencies. Some of these tendencies are more obvious to notice than others may be. One of many suicidal warning signs in a depressed teen is giving away prized possessions. (M.A). An example of this would be if a teenage boy were to give away his most valuable baseball cards for nothing in return and for no apparent reason. This teen would possibly be having suicidal thoughts. Once someone notices this who may or may not be close to the teenager they must act and initiate a conversation with the teenager.
Giving away prized possessions is not the only tendency that a teenager with suicidal thoughts may have....

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(Levasseur, Elizabeth and Grosskopf)

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