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Teen Suicide

Teen Suicide

Suicide is one of the principal causes of death in teens and continues to be a crisis in the US today. There are a lot of reasons for the current explosion of suicide among the young, but none is more important than the stress that kids go through today. A lot of factors have been blamed- everything almost from overpopulation and the breakdown of the family to increased pressure to excel and east access to firearms. It is the third leading cause of fatality from ages 15 -24 years of age and the sixth leading cause of fatality from ages 5-14 years of age according to the U.S centers for Disease control and Prevention. There are many factors that amplify the risk of a suicide being committed, and one of those is owning a firearm. It is said that a family that owns a firearm, and have it in your home, that you are five times more likely to have a suicide. Another thing that contributes to the number of suicides is the difference between the rates of the boys and the girls. Girls think about and endeavor suicide twice as often as boys do, and they attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. Boys die by suicide about four times as much as girls because they tend to use more lethal weapons such as firearms, hanging themselves or jumping from heights. Half of all the children who have made one suicide attempt will make another, sometimes as many as two times a year until they succeed. The majority of suicide attempts is expressions of extreme distress and is not just harmless bids for attention. Others factors that may lead to suicide are a family history of depression or substance abuse and a recent traumatic event. Some children who take their own lives are certainly the opposite of the insubordinate teen. They are anxious, insecure kids who have a desperate desire to be liked, to fit in, and to do well. Their expectations are so high that they demand too much of themselves, so are condemned to invariable...

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