Suicide is a phenomenon that has been recorded as early as the Roman Empire. It was viewed by the Stoics as a "free person’s last act" and by the Roman Catholic Church as a mortal sin. Emile Durkheim, towards the end of the 19th century, viewed suicide from another perspective. He felt that suicide is more of a social rather than a moral deed. In Western countries today, suicide is considered "a complex phenomenon associated with psychological, biological and social factors." A common view is that suicide arises from a depressed person’s feeling that life is so hopeless and that death is the only solution to escape from this great pain.
Yes, even adolescents commit suicide. The suicide rate among adolescents based on Western statistics has quadrupled since 1950 from 2.5 to 11.2 per 100,000 adolescents. In more recent surveys, it was estimated that each year, 500,000 young adults aged 15 to 25 attempt suicide and each year 5,000 of these young adults succeed. Because of this data, suicide has been ranked as the third leading cause of death among 15 to 25-year-olds.
Another important data is that suicide is the sixth leading cause of death among five to 14 year olds. In the US, it is said that one adolescent suicide occurs every 90 minutes. Take note that young adult males succeed at suicide at almost twice as often as any other group. Definitely, without treatment, of those who attempt suicide, 80 percent are likely to try again. Depression among these youngsters almost always leads to suicidal thoughts. So as the rate of adolescent depression rises, so does the incidence of teenage suicide.
It is estimated that around 80 percent of teenagers contemplating suicide will give clues that they are suicidal. So if one of your teenage friends indicates that he wants to give up and end his misery and if you suspect that he desperately needs help, don’t hesitate to tell an adult – a teacher, a school counselor, a team coach, or a priest. If they ignore you, tell someone else. You may be instrumental in saving your friend’s life. Why? Because majority of suicidal adolescents will respond well to psychotherapy and medication.
In clinical practice, I have encountered teenagers who have attempted suicide because of varied reasons – broken relationships, poor academic performance, inability to achieve goals set by parents, parental/peer rejection, and shameful experiences in school.
Why do teenagers commit suicide? Adolescence is a difficult developmental phase. Teenagers are physically, emotionally and mentally developing at a fast rate. Hormones come into the picture. Parents start to expect teenagers to make more mature decisions about their future. There are added pressures from the parents for teenagers to perform well in school and to excel in certain fields of endeavor. There are also pressures from their teachers and peers. Social pressures may reach intense levels. Such adolescent stressors can cause sleep problems, anger, difficulty in concentration, nervousness, headaches, nausea, social withdrawal and depression.
Suicidal adolescents cannot come up with solutions to problems and lack coping strategies to deal with intense immediate stressors. They have such a narrow view of the options available to deal with difficult stressors like family discord, parental or peer rejection and failures leading to a decision to end one’s life.
The risk for suicide is higher in teenagers with mental disorders. There are some neuro-chemical findings indicating some overlap between people with aggressive, impulsive behaviors and those who contemplate suicide. Studies have shown low levels of serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in post-mortem analysis of brains of people who complete suicide. Low levels of 5-HIAA have been found in the cerebrospinal fluid of depressed persons who attempted suicide by violent methods.
Children and teenagers are very vulnerable to "overwhelming chaotic, abusive and neglectful environment." Psychological problems may occur secondary to being exposed to domestic violence and abusive homes. Children and adolescents may develop aggressive, self-destructive and suicidal behaviors if they have been reared in home settings which have been chronically stressful.
Considered as high risk factors for teen depression are the following:
• Traumatic events or changes in one’s life situation (abusive parent, parental separation or divorce, death of a loved one, break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend).
• Difficulty in coping with/or handling anger.
• School problems.
• Lifestyle changes like weight loss/gain or difficulty in sleeping.
• Wish/desire to drink alcohol or use prohibited drugs.
• Interest in violence or fear of violence.
An attempt at suicide is a psychiatric emergency. Don’t ignore your teenager’s cry for help.
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