The Tragedy of Suicide

Some Basic Facts In 1996, more teenagers and young adults died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. In 1996, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among college students, the third-leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 24 years, and the fourth- leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 14 years. From 1980 to 1996, the rate of suicide among African-American males aged 15 to 19 years increased by 105 percent. It is a hopeful sign that while the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled from 1965 to 1987, teen suicide rates in the past ten years have actually been declining, possibly due to increased recognition and treatment.

Suicide and Children Suicide has become much more common in children than it used to be. For children under age 15, about 1-2 out of every 100,000 children will commit suicide. For those 15-19, about 11 out of 100,000 will commit suicide. These are statistics for children in the USA. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 and the third leading cause of death for teenagers 15-19.

Every year, approximately 4,600 young lives are taken because of suicide (Washington State Department of Health “Teen Suicide”). Even more youths attempt suicide and survive and survive than those who were actually lost. Every year about 157,000 youths between ages ten and twenty-four receive medical care for self-inflicted injuries (Washington State Department of Health “Teen Suicide”). The top three ways youth attempt to commit suicide is firearms, such as guns, suffocation and poisoning. Boys are more likely than girls to die from suicide, though girls are most likely to report attempting it.

The third leading cause of death amongst teenagers: Suicide Did you know that suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States? (4). In 1992, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than those who died from stroke, cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined (4). Suicide is definitely a compelling problem amongst youth in the U.S today. It is estimated that 300 to 400 teen suicides occur per year in Los Angeles County; which is equivalent to one teenager lost every day (1).

Each year 4,400 young people die from suicide. Ten to fourteen year old girls are at a higher risk of committing suicide. Out of the actual suicides there are one hundred attempts. 14% of high school students have admitted to considering suicide. 7% have actually attempted it.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people between the ages of 10-24 (www.cdc.gov). Suicide affect all youth. About 4,600 lives has been lost in the United States each year because of Suicide (www.ced.gov). More young people survive Suicide attempts than actually dying. Some rick factors include family history of suicide, family history of depression, mental health problems and incarceration (www.cdc.gov).

Suicide is a serious public health problem that causes immeasurable pain, suffering, and loss to individuals, families, and communities nationwide. Family members, friends, coworkers, and others in the community all suffer the long-lasting consequences of suicidal behaviors (United States Surgeon General, 2012). According to the United States Surgeon General (2012), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death, claiming more than twice as many lives each year as does homicide. Most people are uncomfortable with the topic of suicide (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2015). Part of the problem with helping those with suicidal ideation could rest within clinicians finding suicide a difficult subject to discuss with their clients.

Review of Literature: Suicide 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: 1.

Suicide is something we all know about, but not enough. Britain has one of the highest suicide rates in Europe. Each year in the UK over 5000 people take their life. The Samaritans estimate that in the UK there is a suicide every 82 minutes. The charity Depression Alliance estimates that each year there are around 19,000 suicide attempts by UK adolescents whilst more than 2 million children attend GP's surgeries with some kind of psychological or emotional problem.

Depression is a disabling condition that should be taken seriously. Ever one in ten people worldwide are affected by depression for an estimated 676 million people. People living with a depression have greater than forty-percent chance of dying from premature death that the rest of the population. In many cases suicide is a result of depression due to the lack of attention to the physical problems. In 2012 depression became one of the leading causes of death, 804,000 young adults age fifth teen to twenty-nine committed suicide worldwide.