Suicide Prevention in Schools
Parents of adolescents often work hard to be involved in their child 's ' lives, and yet so few know that suicide is the second leading cause of death in 13 to 19 year olds(Mantel). Despite the obvious need for change, considerably few schools in Oregon have taken action towards prevention. Though there are many articles giving careful analysis of the benefits of suicide prevention programs hardly any of Oregon’s schools have looked into developing and encouraging them. What is still holding us back? It could be the lack of options, shortage of finances, or, quite possibly, turning a blind eye to the topic and the issues it corresponds with. Most people, parents and youth alike, are unaware of the hold suicide
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When I received a text from my closest friend expressing to me her hatred of her life, and her desire to end it I didn’t have a reaction. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react. Looking back on that event, I’m quite lucky that she was willing to open up to me. Most parents, educators, and friends aren’t given such an opportunity to help; and in many cases, the suicide is sudden and unexpected. Laurie Flynn, director of the Carmel Hill Center for Early Diagnosis and Treatment at Columbia University, retells her personal experience in this description of her daughters attempted suicide “She was one of those kids who was a little star . . . I thought if she was depressed, I would see it. The truth is, you don 't know” (Hosansky). Flynn shows that not only is there a lack of education in suicide prevention, but also an issue with the programs used to educate. If she, a woman well trained in child and adolescent psychiatry, cannot find signs of her own daughters’ depression how can any of the blissfully unaware seek out youth in need? Deschutes County has taken several steps in displaying the impact depression can have on the community’s youth and the ways we can work against it. By developing a suicide prevention council and working to provide prevention/intervention training to both educators and the public, the …show more content…
This is a common concern but how can we expect an adolescent to react appropriately to a life or death situation when they have never been confronted with the topic before?There is truth in the quotation; it is a possibility that the pressure put on teens would only serve to worsen the outcome. Still, we must involve them with the topics of suicide and depression because, sadly, in our society 1 in 6 high school students seriously consider suicide and 1 in 12 has attempted it2(Neal). Therefore, teens should be taught about the warning signs and told the best way to respond if a friend ever comes to them about depression or suicidal thoughts, however they shouldn’t be expected to seek out or identify those in need. Another element that most programs such as the above are lacking is consistency; many youths who’ve attempted or committed suicide have seen their primary care physician within a year of their death, most for non-psychiatric issues. (Mantel) This is another cause for questioning as to whether or not screenings and prevention programs effectively serve their purpose. Some suggest screening all adolescents, in hopes to pin-point those with potential for suicidal behavior. Others disagree, saying that the screening can lose accuracy when used universally. If we could use one system to screen all adolescents
¨ If I cannot give my consent to my own death, whose body is this? Who owns my life?- Sue Rodriguez. If one cannot choose when they die and how they go out, then are we really the owner of our life and body? Physician assisted suicide is the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. When the patient is terminally ill and is in a lot of pain they should be able to end their own life instead of waiting for it to end itself. Even though some argue that physician assisted suicide is not a humane way of dying it still stops the patient´s suffering and gives them peace of mind.
In 2012, there were an alarming number of suicides among young people in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware (Fowler, Crosby, Parks, & Ivey, 2013). According to a collaborative investigative report that was done by the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were eleven suicides committed by young people who ranged in ages from 12 to 21 years old within a five month period of time in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware (Fowler et al., 2013). In that same five month period of time there were 116 youth who attempted to commit suicide (Fowler et al., 2013). These incidents drew a great deal of community alarm for two primary reasons. The first reason was the number of suicide deaths in the first quarter of 2012 exceeded the number of suicide deaths typically reported in this two county area in an entire year (Fowler et al., 2013). According to Fowler et al. (2013), from 2009-2011, the typical annual number of deaths by suicide among young peop...
Assisted suicide should be legalized nationwide in the United States, because every human deserves a peaceful death. Assisted suicide is when person that has been told they are terminally ill and won’t survive, they can go to a doctor and get prescribed a medication that results in death. It’s not murder, it’s giving the person a chance to say their good byes and leave this world when they are ready to go. Not making them suffer and go on when they don’t want to.
The main argument in this article is that there needs to be more ways to help people that are suicidal. The main point of this article is that they want to people to be more aware of how to help someone, and it is also full of information. The topics that are covered in the article are the issues at hand, the background with suicide in teens, and the next step that society needs to take. This article is about helping people that are suicidal and how to help them and let us know the next step that we need to take.
It is expected that public school nurses will be successful in their interventions, and students will sign up for counseling sessions and group meetings. In addition, the desired outcome is that patients in clinics and other health care settings will be willing to fill out questioners and acquire about the suicide prevention therapies. It is expected that these interventions lower the rate of attempted and completed suicide in Spokane and Spokane county.
A 17 year old boy, Douglas Stewart, came home from school to find his mother lying on the sofa with a strained back. Being concerned for her he rubbed her back briefly then put on some easy listening music. Douglas then proceeded downstairs to his bedroom. Two of his friends came to the door. His mother waited to see if he would return to answer it; minutes later she answered and then yelled for him to come up. When he did not come, she went downstairs to get him. That is when she found him strangled and her son’s body dangling from the ceiling. This is a senseless tragic sight for a mother to endure. The mortality rate from suicide in 1996 showed 9.5 per 100,000 for 15-19 year olds. This also shows boys are four times more likely to commit suicide then girls. However, girls are twice as likely to attempt suicide. (American 1996) It is imperative to reverse this trend and in doing so we need to understand the characteristics, behaviors and events associated with youth suicide.
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.
A problem today that should be addressed is suicide among teens and young adults. Several lives are taken every year due to several unknown and known factors. Terribly shameful knowing all the help and hope that’s out there for victims, while on the other hand none of the victims may have ever even known a proper way to seek help (Miller). Risk factors leading up to suicide (also the known factors) include but not limited to: mental illness, childhood issues, isolation and loneliness, bullying and broader issues such as loss and personal pain (Bower). Not only should suicide be looked at as a big deal it should be looked at for what it truly is; “the third leading cause of death for ages 15-24 (Bower).” The problem does not stop when no longer mentioned, that only leaves room for more problems to occur. Not everyone with suicidal thoughts is willing to seek help, making the problem too common, something our society must deal with more and more today (Teen). Suicide is an important issue that should not be overlooked or merely talked
Teen suicide should never be on the minds of our youth. It’s a dreadful circumstance that happens almost on a daily basis. I chose this topic for my core assessment because I can relate to this topic. My cousin committed suicide when he was 19 years old. The pain and suffering that we as a family went through can’t even be described. Some say that people who commit suicide are selfish cowards who don’t think of their families when they act. Others say that the individual isn’t in their right mind to comprehend what is going on. I usually tend to lean towards the last assumption because personally, I feel that my cousin never committed suicide, his state of mind did. Teen suicide is one of the leading causes of death for adolescents in addition to accidents such as vehicles and drugs. My future career in law enforcement will deal with teen suicides. It’s inevitable. In addition, it’s the police officers responsibility as well as the families, and schools to detect the risk and prevent these suicidal behaviors by these teenagers. Yet, how are people supposed to know what teens are feeling deep down inside? Most teenagers can hide or act their feelings like professionals. Personally the best way to know what your teens are thinking or going through is talk to them on a daily basis; whether it’s at the dinner table or even while watching television. These measures will change your teenager’s life because he/she will know that someone cares and loves them.
“ I WISH I WOULD JUST DIE ALREADY!” screamed Jane as she opened the pill bottle and hesitated to take them all. Jane had been showing these signs if depression that no one noticed. If her school would’ve screened the students for suicidal tendencies and mental illnesses they could’ve prevented her from getting that far. Screening helps people identify who may and may not be at risk of suicide. Schools should screen children and teenagers for mental illnesses and suicidal tendencies, because if it’s not treated it can worsen or cause other problems, provide more help, lower suicide rates.
Mental disorders are rapidly becoming more common with each new generation born in the world. Currently, nearly one in two people suffer from some form of depression, anxiety, or other mental health problem at some point in their lives (Editor). With so many people suffering from their mental illnesses, steps have been taken in order to get help needed for these people but progress has been slow. In the medical world, hospitals are treating those with physical problems with more care than those with mental problems. Prescription drugs can only do so much helping the mentally ill go through their daily lives and more should be done to help those who need more than medicine to cope with their illness. Mental health should be considered just as important as physical health because of how advanced physical healing is, how the public reacts to those with mental illness, and due to the consequences that could happen if the illness is not correctly helped.
Teen suicide as an extremely complex tragedy, that unfortunately happens all the time throughout the United States. There are friends, parents, and peers that are facing the misfortune of losing a young, close, loved one to suicide. Most people don't realize that adolescent suicide is common. They don't want to believe how often this occurs in the secure environment found in the small towns of America, as well as in its largest cities.
Now the eighth-leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years, suicide has become the subject of much recent focus. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, for instance, recently announced his Call to Action to Prevent Suicide, 1999, an initiative intended to increase public awareness, promote intervention strategies, and enhance research. The media, too, has been paying very close attention to the subject of suicide, writing articles and books and running news stories. Suicide among our nation’s youth, a population very vulnerable to self-destructive emotions, has perhaps received the most discussion of late. Maybe this is because teenage suicide seems the most tragic—lives lost before they’ve even started. Yet, while all of this recent focus is good, it’s only the beginning. We cannot continue to lose so many lives unnecessarily.
A young, teenage girl sits with her friends, talking, laughing, and making jokes. She seems completely normal and happy, even. What people don’t know is that this is nothing but a mask covering the loneliness that seems to run through her veins, and the unexplainable sadness that never goes away. She fears speaking of it, of admitting the uncontrollable hatred she feels for everything about herself, so much that she contemplates ending it all. The fact is, suicide is the third leading cause for death in people under the age of twenty-five. Our country needs to stop seeing this as a casual thing. Depression, anxiety, and suicide in youth are real and serious issues that we need to be more aware of in today’s society.
Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those