Stop Teen Suicide: 2014

The Facts

Teen suicide has become one of the major causes of death in teens in he 21st century, and third leading cause of death in 15 to 24 year olds according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). It has become a problem for teens to have happy and healthy lives.Some of the main causes of why teens have thoughts of suicide are overwhelming hopelessness, severe frustration over what friends or family did to them, or the loss of a loved family member. Even though suicide is rare in children, it is said that the rates of suicide usually increase during adolescence(teen age). It is also said that thoughts of suicide mainly increase when children and teens have access to fire arms(guns), nearly 60% of suicides in the United States were caused by the use of a gun! It is recommended that if you have kids or teens and own a gun, you should store it in a locked place out of reach, and unloaded..Also, overdose of over the counter, prescription and non-prescription medications are another main factor of how teens commit suicide. It's recommended that Parents should carefully manage the dose of the medications,and store medications in a variety of places like school or a relative's home.

Rates of suicide between boys and girls are extremely different. Girls tend to gather thoughts of suicide twice as often than boys, and ether kill themselves mostly on drug overdose or cutting themselves. On the other hand however, boys tend to attempt suicide twice as much as girls. Usually boys tend a more aggressive approach to kill them selves, ether jump of extreme heights or shoot themselves with a gun.Alcohol can also impact the occurrence of teens taking away their lives. According to Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide(CHADS),alcohol makes a person's depression levels go up, and makes a person even more depressed if the person was already depressed. It is important that teens should stay away from alcohol if they feel depressed. Occasionally,teens who feel depressed, are more vulnerable for them to think of thoughts of suicide!In addition to the causes listed above, the American Psychological Association(APA) states these are a couple of different warning signs teens usually show when they have thoughts or dire to commit suicide include:

Talking About Dying -- any mention of dying, disappearing, jumping, shooting oneself, or other types of self harm
Recent Loss -- through death, divorce, separation, broken relationship, self-confidence, self-esteem, loss of interest in friends, hobbies, activities previously enjoyed
Change in Personality -- sad, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, tired, indecisive, apathetic
Change in Behavior -- can't concentrate on school, work, routine tasks
Change in Sleep Patterns -- insomnia, often with early waking or oversleeping, nightmares
Change in Eating Habits -- loss of appetite and weight, or overeating
Fear of losing control - acting erratically, harming self or others
Low self esteem -- feeling worthless, shame, overwhelming guilt, self-hatred, "everyone would be better off without me"
No hope for the future --
believing things will never get better; that nothing will ever change

Encouragement to Prevent and Stop Teen Suicide

Teen suicide can be preventable!!!These emotions and actions of teens wanting to kill themselves are unhealthy thoughts that disappoint them in a long run. Due to this we can take pledge to encourage and motivate teens that there is always a purpose in life. It is considered that if anyone is thinking of taking away their life, it's important that you tell somebody. In the case of a teen, the victim of thoughts of suicide should contact a trusted adult right away. If a friend or loved is thinking of suicide or wanting suicide, tell them that you care by telling them to seek help. Talk with trusted people in your community, or make an appointment with a behavioral specialist to discuss possible options for your friend to become himself again!If your doctor recommends medicine, make sure to follow doctor's instructions on how often to intake the medicine, and stick with those instructions unless the doctor makes changes.Don't let thoughts of suicide take over, take action, show who is the boss! The ACT model is a model that can help save a life from this horrible mental state!

Acknowledge-Identify Changes in Behavior

Care-Show that you care, talk with friends and family

Tell- Tell a Trusted adult

For additional help or seek counseling concerning this issue, you can contact CHADS at:

chadscoalition.org or the teen suicide help line for immediate assistance at 1-800-273-Talk(8255)