The Epidemic of Teen Suicide in America

Every year, thousands of youth die in the United States, not by cancer, car

accidents, and other diseases, but by their own hand. These people make the choice that

they want to die and they take their own life. Suicide, the term given to the act of killing

oneself, is the third leading cause of death among people that are 15 to 25 years of age. It

is estimated that 500,000 teenagers try to kill themselves during the course of one year.

During the adolescent years, normal teenagers experience strong feelings of stress,

confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while

growing up. These feelings in themselves are not harmful, but normal. However those who

can not handle these situations are ones that are prone to suicide. Many people believe

that suicides are isolated incidents, but they are far from that. Suicide among teenagers is

indeed an epidemic that should be focused on and dealt with immediately. This essay will

focus on the causes of suicide, the signs of a person that is suicide prone, and what one

should do for a person who may be a target for suicide.

The main two causes for teen suicide is the mental disease of depression and family

problems. 90% of teen suicide victims have at least one diagnosable, active psychiatric

illness at the time of death, which is most often depression, substance abuse, or behavior

disorders. Only 33-50% of victims was known by their doctors as having a mental illness

at the time of their death, and only 15% were in treatment at the time of death. The

pressures of modern life are greater these days and competition for good grades and

college admission is difficult, which are extra stressors on already unsure teens. Some even

think it's because there is more violence in the media. Lack of parental interest may make

them feel alone and anonymous. They believe that their parents don't understand them and

when they try to express their feelings they feel that their parents either denied or ignored

their attempt to communicate feelings of unhappiness, frustration, or failure. Many

children grow up in divorced households or both parent's work and their families spend

little time together. Even the threat of AIDS is a factor that contributes to higher suicide

rate. Stressful life events, such as the loss of an important person or school failure,...

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possible reasons for a person to become suicidal. They just need to know that their life is

worth living, and that there are people out there who love and care about them, and who

want them to stay alive. Every person is different, therefore every suicide case is going to

be different, with different needs, and different causes. If I could tell you a solution to

solve suicide, and put an end to it I would be one of the most famous people in the world.

I can tell you the ways to help reduce the numbers of people who commit suicide each

year.

As one can see, teen suicide is a epedimic problem that is only spreading

throughout America. There seems to be little exposure to teens about this vast and

important problem. This problem must be focused on and dealt with or the world is going

to miss out on its future leaders and important people, because some will take their lives

as a teenager. Therefore, this problem should be given all the research funding that is

given for cancer and other diseases, and it should be taught in schools. Suicide will never

completely be ended, but with focus on prevention, the number of those who commit

suicide can drop, substantially.