Recently, a popular TV series “13 Reasons Why,” raised the awareness of suicide and mental health. Suicide and mental health are big deals, since suicide is the “second leading cause of death for ages 12-24,” according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (“Suicide Statistics”). People attempt suicide for various reasons, and mental illness is a significant factor. Consequently, risk factors such as chemical imbalance in the brain, genetic vulnerability, environmental factors, and family relationship intertwine and cause mental illness. Among those mental illnesses, depression is one of the most common and heavily associated with suicide. Depression is difficult to identify among the young people because the symptoms are easily …show more content…
According to Lewis Wolpert, a developmental biologist, a lot of people are even unaware of the fact that they have depression because of lack of mental health literacy. In addition, social stigmas against depression such as “depression is not real,” “everyone has that,” and “attention seeker” prevent people from seeking professional help when they need. The cost of the professional help is another hindrance for people from receiving help (Wolpert). As a solution, mental health patients seeking help should try more accessible treatment methods such as self-help, and schools should promote the programs to reach out to more …show more content…
According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, 13% of children aged 8 to 15 experience a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have at least one mental health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness (“Mental Health”). Dr.Jack Westman, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin who has been serving more than 50 years to the psychiatric developmental needs of children emphasizes the importance of children’s mental health. Mental health problems among youth are critical because if not treated properly, the problems would exacerbate and cost more to the society. The population of children is decreasing and future society will “not be able to function” if a significant portion of children’s mental health is in danger. In addition, each child with a severe mental health problem cost society $2 million if they become adults without receiving any appropriate mental health problem treatment (Westman). In addition, treating mental illness during the young age before it is exacerbated will be easier and cost-effective
People constantly overlook the severity of depression, more importantly, major teen depression, which presents a legitimate obstacle in society. The intensity of teen depression results from society’s general lack of acknowledgement of the rising affair. In 2012, “28.5% of teens were depressed” and 15.8% of teens contemplated the option of suicide (Vidourek 1 par. 1), due to their major depression going unnoticed or untreated for. Even teenagers themselves often ignore their depression or remain in denial because neither them nor anyone else recognizes the signs. “A sudden change in behavior is a main sign of someone being depressed, which could lead to having suicidal thoughts,” stated Pam Farkas, a clinical social worker in California (Aguilar 1 par. 8). The warning signs and risk factors of teen depression include behavioral issues, social withdrawal, and inadequate interest in activities (Adolescents and Clinical Depression 2 par. 3), yet the unawareness of these signs does not allow professional medical attention to intercede. Deaths, illnesses, rejection, relationship issues, and disappointment present passages down the negative path of teen depression, but treatments, such as psychotherapy, intervention programs, and antidepressants express ways to subdue this major problem. Knowledge of the increasing dilemma needs to circulate, in order to promote stable teen lives in the present and future world. Understanding major teen depression, the events and incidents that lead to depression, and how to overcome the problem will lead to a decrease in major teen depression and its growing issue in society.
According to Fowler, Crosby, Parks, and Ivey (2013), suicide and nonfatal suicidal ideations are significant public health concerns for adolescents and young adults. While the onset of suicidal behaviors is observed as young as six years of age, rates of death and nonfatal injury resulting from suicidal behavior are moderately low until 15 years of age (Fowler et al., 2013). According to Fowler et al (2013), the most current available statistics in the United States (U. S.) reported suicide as the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10-14 and 15-19 years, and it was the second leading cause of death among persons aged 20-24 years.
According to an article written by Daniel Reidenberg, every year in America, there are over thirty-four thousand deaths due to suicide. Every thirty-eight seconds there is a person attempting to take their own life. Every fifteen minutes, someone succeeds in their attempt of suicide. Reidenberg mentions that in the last decade, the number of deaths by suicide has increased. He states that we, the people of America, need to take mental illnesses more seriously. They are just as bad as any other disease, just a disease that unfortunately lands in the brain and changes one’s “thoughts, feelings, and behavior.” Mental illnesses are a huge cause of suicide. According to a presentation made by Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar, the suicide rates in the Americas have increased by forty percent since 2000. Marsha Linehan preaches about how the suicide rates today are the highest they have ever been. Linehan, Dr. Vijayakumar and Reidenberg, despite being unable to predict the future of suicide rates, all know that without a change in the way we treat it,
Many Juveniles have been deprived of their proper treatment due to society’s lack of understanding and compassion, yet research clearly shows that mental health treatment not only keeps them at bay from repeating their crimes, but also helps them live a more positive lifestyle in society. In times we blame the juvenile for their mistakes, however instead of pointing fingers at them, we can come together as community to help them overcome their “inner demons”. After all, it is not the children committing the crimes, but their mental disorder that is hindering them from living a normal lifestyle.
This discussion deals with the strengths and weaknesses of epidemiological research considering case studies of suicide and antidepressants among young people. In one epidemiological study of suicide related events in young people following prescription of antidepressants, Wijlaars et al (2013) examined the temporal association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) prescriptions and suicide-related events in children and adolescents.
Mental Health is a common topic in all agenda’s in the United States. It is currently looked at broadly across all segments of health; in fact, over the years there have been multiple approaches to addressing the needs of the population affected by lack of mental health or that have prominent mental health disorders. Over the past century the United States has been especially concerned about the mental health problems of our children and youth (Tuma, 1989). Worldwide 10-20% of children and adolescents experience mental disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). This topic has been so important to the extent that as early as 1909, the white house conference on children recommended new programs to care for mentally disturbed children (Tuma, 1989), but the process seems to continue to be in planning phases with some advancement in mental health policies for children. One hundred years later, the surgeon general national agenda for children’s health, the president’s new freedom commission on mental health and the American Psychological Association are all pushing efforts to address children’s mental health issues (Odar et al, 2013). More so, the stakeholders mentioned above agree on the fact that there is a large gap between the mental health needs of children and the supports and services that are available to meet those needs (Tolan and Dodge, 2005). However, in spite of many different approaches Tolan and Dodge (2005) state that “Children’s mental health continues to be neglected even with growing scientific evidence of the importance of mental health in children’s development” this is occurring specially within the primary developmental systems such as pediatric care and school, and of efficacy of interventions for chil...
When trying to determine the cause of suicide, most people are going to conclude that the cause was something such as stress, marital problems, or unemployment. Usually there are more complicated reasons that can be the cause for suicide. In her article “To know Depression,” Kay Redfield Jamison discusses mental illnesses and how they contribute to suicide. Jamison believes that by treating the mental illness, this can aid in the prevention of suicides. Jamison, a professor in psychiatry and a sufferer of bipolar disorder, knows firsthand how dangerous mental illnesses can be. Even though some words are not clearly defined, through the use of the Barton example, her description of depression, medical knowledge, and personal experience, Jamison
The suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade.[2] Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer. Recent studies have shown that greater than 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems and one-third of adolescents attending psychiatric clinics suffer from depression.[3] Despite this, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed, leading to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which often continue into adulthood.
According to Beatrix A. Hamburg’s personal assessment from the Office of Technology, that 2.5 million of these children are receiving treatment and twelve percent of children under the age of eighteen suffer from a serious mental disorder, which represents 7.5 million youngsters in the United States. Mental health disorders could lead to difficulties in adolescence and problems in adulthood (2012). However, those with more severe mental disorders do tend to receive mental health services.
Giving youth early treatment to help them treat their mental condition will prevent greater issues in the future and teaching the youth about how to prevent mental conditions can help them decrease their chances of developing a mental condition as adults. The issue here is that mental health resources and services for schools costs money and not all schools want to spend money. Schools will most likely get funding to create these mental health services available for students, but it may be difficult to find funders that would donate money. But, finding funders who would like to donate would be the most recommended thing to do to create
Children are a crucial part of society. They participate in almost all aspects of a society whether it is in schools, community activities, or in the workforce. However, not all children develop the same skills and are granted the same opportunities as others because of a mental illness. Mental illnesses are as serious as physical illnesses and they negatively affect a child’s life. There are a variety of mental illnesses children may have with different levels of severity; mental illnesses hinder childhood development, and they affect a child’s social and home life.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, scientific evidence has shown that almost all people who take their own lives have a diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder, and the majority have more than one disorder. In other words, the feelings that often lead to suicide are highly treatable. That’s why it is imperative that we better understand the symptoms of the disorders and the behaviors that often accompany thoughts of suicide. With more knowledge, we can often prevent the devastation of losing a loved one.
Suicide is a very real problem in our society today. According to the CDC, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in Americans. (CDC) There is an increasing number of people committing suicide and people attempting suicide each year. Unfortunately, there is a stigma around suicide that makes people afraid to ask for the help that they need. This review of literature discusses suicide by addressing the following questions to three main ideas:
The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that accompany depression can fuel a downward spiral of health and self-esteem, which can have potentially deadly results: In one study of teenage suicides, 60 to 70 percent of the teenagers had been diagnosed with a depressive illness prior to their deaths. An alarming 90 percent of the sample had some form of psychiatric diagnosis -- depression, mood disorder, or substance abuse
Today, the numbers of people with mental health issues are considerably high. The problem increases the national and global social and economic burdens as governments try to find means of empowering the people with the issue and solve the problem. Today, one in five adults in the United States has a mental health problem (“Mental Health Facts,” 2016). “Mental Health Facts” (2016) also states that the adults that received mental health services are about 60%. Only 50% of the youth with mental health issues received mental health services in the previous year. Further, mental health issues are also related to drug use and addiction. Of all the mental illnesses and disorders, depression affects the most people and has the biggest burden globally. Due to the increasing burden and the gap in service utilization, the mental health policy seeks to address several factors. Some of the key issues to address include early diagnosis of mental disorders, provision of appropriate and adequate intervention a particular problem, education and counseling for the family members, and research to help reduce the numbers and reverse the trend. Another key area of focus is the use of mass media to create awareness about mental health issues and help clear the