Teen Suicidal Behavior in our Society

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Recommended: The impact of teenage suicide

To live is a very fragile and misunderstood term. Countless lives are taken unwillingly each day by mere accidents, while others are lost fighting to defend their countries’ beliefs. Some of these lives grow old, and some do not, but many are not being lived in the way they were intended. Somewhere along the lines in our society, people have the idea that their own life might not be worth living. Ending their life is called suicide, and it is becoming more and more popular among teenagers in this generation.

For people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, suicide is the third leading cause of death, only behind accidents and homicides (New, 2012). It was recorded in 1996, that more teenagers and young adults committed suicide than ones who died of cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined (Shaffer). A person in the United States under the age of twenty-five years old commits suicide every two hours and fifteen minutes (Fisher, 2006). This is approximately fourteen souls a day (Woodward, 2005). Research shows that for every completed suicide there are at least twenty- five attempts made (New, 2012). With this information, it adds up to about two million teenage suicide attempts per year (Siegel, McCabe, 2001).

Twenty-five percent of teenagers carry emotional baggage too heavy for what they believe their mind and body can handle in a healthy manner. This added stress can cause teenagers to turn to certain escapes like drugs, sex, violence, or eventually suicide (Kaywell, 2005). Overdosing with either prescription or non-prescription drugs is a very common choice that teens may make to end their lives, which proves that these unhealthy escapes ...

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...ers and every soul has a purpose. Prevention of teen suicide needs to become of utmost importance in our world today, and we all need to learn how to save a life.

Works Cited

Woodward, J. (2005). Teen suicide. Farmington Hills: Thomson Gale.

New, M. J. (2012, Jan). About teen suicide. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html

Shaffer, D. (n.d.). Teenage suicide. Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Teenage_Suicide.htm

Fisher, D. (2006). Helping teenagers get through the worst: suicide. Retrieved from ERIC database. (EJ769347)

Siegel, D; McCabe, P. (2009). Gauging media influence on adolescent suicide rates. Retrieved from ERIC database. (EJ868106)

Kaywell, J. (2005).Teachers offering healthy escape options for teenagers in pain. Retrieved from ERIC database. (EJ734086)

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