Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Suicide as a social phenomenon
Suicide as a social phenomenon
Social problems of suicide
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Suicide as a social phenomenon
Suicide is a major problem worldwide, especially for teenagers. Self image plays a big roll in American society today, especially in enabling someone to make a wrong and destructive decision like suicide. Self image and low esteem effect the chances of a teenagers suicide greatly. There are many events that lead up to a young persons suicide, for instance a little problem that seems inescapable which manifests themselves into overwhelming burdens. Detection and prevention are both key for adults and young people to stop suicide from happening.
After taking a look at the numbers of suicide, most would be amazed. For example, by the time one reads this paragraph there will be someone attempting to commit suicide, but only 5% of people actually take their lives. Over 80% of these people had problems with their social life in which they lost a good portion of friends or had a “major” problem with their image or self esteem. About half the teens in this country have had thoughts of suicide cross their minds on a monthly basis. Each teen was know to have a deep drop in motivation. In a study of 59 suicidal teens there was reported that only 7 parents knew about what their child was going through. Something more shocking is that out of 36 teens who made a suicide attempt, only 2 parents were aware. The potential risk of suicide appears when a kid has depression and anxiety or even hopelessness. Remember that teens always need to be shown the unconditional love from their immediately family and parents (Langwith,26).
There are many case studies that help explain why suicide is prevalent. Most stories of suicide in teens are the same. For example, a popular High-schooler by the name of Chuck. Chuck was a junior in an Avon High Scho...
... middle of paper ...
...t.
2.) "Suicide." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Mon. 6 Feb. 2012.
3.) "Teens Are Particularly at Risk for Suicide" by Michael S. Jellinek. Suicide. Jacqueline Langwith, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints® Series. Greenhaven Press, 2008. Michael S. Jellinek, "Teen Suicide May Leave Unanswered Questions," Pediatric News, vol. 39, July, 2005, p. 25. Copyright 2005 International Medical News Group.
4.) Langwith, Jacqueline. "2." Suicide. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2008. 23-29. Print.
5.) Marcovitz, Hal. Teens and Suicide. Philadelphia: Mason Crest, 2004. 22-24. Print.
6.) Wohlenhaus, Kim. Suicide Information for Teens: Health Tips about Suicide Causes and Prevention : Including Facts about Depression, Risk Factors, Getting Help, Survivor Support, and More. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2010.
Durkheim, Emile. Trans. John A. Spaulding and George Simpson. Suicide; A Study in Sociology. The Free Press, New York. 1987. Pgs. 297-325
Her eyes were heavy, her body weak. As she crawled into the bathroom two feet away, Abby felt her body slowly succumbing to the numbness. All of her pain would be gone in less than 10 minutes, so why would she want to turn back? What about the senior trip Abby had planned with her best friend? What about the chair at the dinner table that would now be vacant? A couple of hours later Abby’s family came home from her little sister’s soccer game. Little did they know what they would find as they approached the top of the stairs. Her little sister, Ali, stood still as she looked down at her feet. There on the cold floor lay her big sister, her role model, and her super hero. Ali was crushed when she saw the pill bottle in her hand and the pale color of her skin. Her mom fell to her knees screaming and crying, wondering where she
In a study released by Brown University, their psychology department shed some light on common myths and facts surrounded suicide. These m...
A mother finds her 17 year old teenage son hanging from the rafters of their basement. To hear of this occurrence is not rare in society today. Every 90 minutes a teenager in this country commits suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. The National suicide rate has increased 78% between 1952 and 1992. The rate for 15-19 year olds rose from two per 100,000 to 12.9, more than 600 percent. (Special report, Killing the Pain, Rae Coulli)
Approximately, five teenagers attempted suicide each day (Haesler 2010 para. 1). The fact makes some group of people (especially the ones who are part of the society) concerned. Somehow, youth suicide will result in an unintentional sign for help (Carr-Gregg 2003, para. 1). Communities related to the victims will be affected mentally and they will feel grief, pain, and loss that are so great that it overcomes the economic ...
Olson, Jeremy. "Teen Suicide Is Not on the Rise." Mental Illness. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "No Surge in Teen Suicides, but Many Myths." StarTribune.com. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Educational Perspective on Teen Suicide in American High Schools Suicide has moved up from fourth to second place as the leading cause of death among high school teenagers. The male and female rates were at their highest in the 1990’s with 20.4 per 100,000 persons in 1990. The rates have since gone down to 17.7 per 100,000 persons in 2005. Teen suicide rates are higher among males than females, males were at 19.8 per 100,000 and female rates were at 4.8 per 100,000 females in the 1990’s (World Health Organization). Societal problems that lead to teens attempting suicide are often rooted in depression, bullying and stress, sometimes beginning in middle school.
Dokoupil, Tony. A. The "Suicide Epidemic" Newsweek Global 161.19 (2013): 1 Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web.
Add to this the yearning for independence from their parents and rebelliousness toward and conflict with authority figures at school, and many teens feel overwhelmed. Some may experience serious bouts of depression and, indeed, some contemplate and actually attempt suicide. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among teenagers between the ages of 10 and 24 in the U.S. (CDC, 2015). In addition, besides suicide, vulnerable youth may be at risk for drug use, early pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency (Cicchetti and Toth,
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.
Suicide of any kind is an act in which a person takes his or her own life. In fact, suicide is a prevalent cause of death among America's youth today. Every day, more than 1000 adolescents will think about suicide and eighteen will be successful in committing it. It is an ever-growing problem that can be described as unnecessary and uncalled for. Knowledge and understanding are key factors in preventing adolescent suicide.
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.
The purpose of this paper is to explain the causes of teen suicide. This paper will include statistics and some background information on suicide survivors. Also this report will discuss some warning signs of teen suicide. It is important to take the subject of suicide seriously. It doesn't seem right that a teenager, who has lived for such a short time, would choose to die, but those who can't get over their depression sometimes do. Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24 and the fourth leading cause of death for persons between the ages of 10 and 14 and it seems to be on the rise. Only accidental deaths and homicide follow it. Some experts believe that many "accidental" deaths are actually suicides.
Youth suicide is a public health concern. Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among children ages 15-24. Recently, more young people died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other medical conditions combined (Miller, Mazza, & Eckert, 2009). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated that since the 1950s, the rate of suicide in youth has increased by more than 300 percent (Joe & Bryant, 2007). The number of youth suicides that are reported is actually lower than the actual number of youth suicides. Suggested by the literature, this is due to concern for the family, the social implications, religious views and other factors (Page, 1996). Is suicide preventable? Can we reduce the number of suicide attempts? What role should school professional’s play in the prevention of suicide? Although it is believed that if someone has the idea to commit suicide it will definitely happen, results indicate that the more school professionals that are educated about suicide, the signs and prevention, the more suicides that could be prevented. School professionals can and should be a key aspect in the prevention of youth suicide by knowing the warning signs and knowing how to intervene to prevent an attempt or successful suicide.
Teen suicide is becoming more common every year in the United States. In fact, only car accidents and homicides (murders) kill more people between the ages of 15 and 24, making suicide the third leading cause of death in teens and overall in youths ages 10 to 19 years old.