Paul Berkemeier

3/16/15
English 201
Prof Gardner
Teenage Suicide
Imagine your friend standing on top of a tall building; he takes one last breath and says
his last goodbyes to his family and friends, jumping off to his certain death. Being able to go
back and fix your mistakes is something that humans do regularly, but theres no going back and
fixing suicide. He might have escaped his problems by killing himself, but in turn he only
created more problems for others without truly fixing his own. Just imagine the pain and
suffering that his friends, family and people across the world go through because of these
unnecessary deaths. Many wonder why he did it and what was going through his mind as he did
it. Maybe he even told you he was going to commit suicide and you didnt believe him and
thought he was joking. He may have told you what his plan was, but apparently no one else, such
as his parents and other friends had any idea why he would choose to take his life. This is the
case with a lot of teenage suicides. Teen suicide occurs nearly 5,000 times each year
(mentalillnesspolicy). Even more distressing is that 400,000 to 2 million teens attempt to kill
themselves each year (naspcenter). Many people such as teachers, school counselors,
psychologist, therapist, and youth group leaders came up with a list of reasons teenagers decide
to commit suicide. A few of the most significant, centralized theories to this were: parental
divorce, too little communication between themselves and their parents, widespread use of drugs
and alcohol, normalized gun usage, and not enough love or care and guidance (nami). These

reasons present potential triggers as to why the person attempted to take their own life, but none
of these explain what pushes the kid over the edge to that point. Maybe its being accepted by
society, or peer pressure and the struggle to fit in; maybe the teen is going through extreme
shame or guilt from illicit activities or harboring secrets from others. For example, they might
be pregnant and they are afraid or ashamed to tell their parents so they commit suicide
(yourtango). No matter what the reason, studies have shown that hormonal imbalances in teens
leads to more intense negative emotions, and in some cases depression. Psychologists say that
there is a severe depression that teens go through due to internal and exterior factors; these
include family problems, new surroundings, ending of a relationship, death, or failure. And in
some cases, people are depressed for no reason at all (personalityresearch)
I found a case online about a girl who committed suicide in 2012; her name was Amanda
Todd. The article says that when she was in the 7th grade, she met a man in an online chat room
who convinced her show him her chest. A year later, the man contacted her on Facebook and told
her put on a show for him. He threatened to release the nude pictures of her to everyone she
knew if she didnt comply to his demands, which was a very real threat as the man knew her
address, her name, where she went to school, and who her friends and family members were. In
the end, Amandas pictures were released and went viral. The other kids at her school were made
aware of the leaked images and began bullying her. Amanda became severely depressed,
developed anxiety, and began to use drugs and alcohol. A year later, Amanda transferred schools
and made new friends, leaving the picture scandal in her past. However, the man came back and
created a Facebook page, using her topless photo as his profile picture. Her new friends started
ignoring her, talking about her, and bullying her too. She revealed her feelings in a video on
YouTube, describing how she cried every night and lost all her friends. Amanda grew

increasingly more depressed and began cutting herself. Again, she changed schools, where she
caught the attention of a more popular boy. As a result, girls from her old school came to the new
school and beat her up, while people watched and filmed it without anyone trying to help out the
poor girl. She documented it in the video diary, claiming, "I was left all alone and left on the
ground." When Amanda returned home, she tried to commit suicide by drinking bleach, but the
attempt failed. Once again, she moved to a new city, but this time the bullying continued, despite
the new environment. Therapy, combined with anti-depressants, did little to help her depression
and anxiety, and she continued to cut herself and attempted suicide again. In September 2012,
Amanda wrote her story on flashcards and uploaded it to YouTube. Amandas body was found
at her home in British Columbia, Canada on the 10th of October, 2012 (puresight).
Centers for Disease Control report that between 1980 and 1993, suicide rates have gone
up 120% for the kids aged 10 through 14 years old, and for the teens 15-19 year olds it has risen
to about 30%. Between 1970 and 1980, 1 out of every 6 Americans who committed suicide was
between the ages 15-24 years old (allaboutdepression). The amount of suicides has grown
exponentially over the years; one out of ten teens that have been questioned admitted to having
attempted suicide (yspp). Right now most people think who would be stupid enough to try and
commit suicide? Most people who have not gone through depression because of stronger support
systems or better overall lives often question what drives others to consider such a drastic
endeavor like suicide, and generally dont see the issue to be as prominent as it really is. Over
800,000 people die by suicide every year in the world, and there is one death by suicide in the
world every 40 seconds (WHO). Many victims who are thinking about suicide have very
common traits such as loneliness, difficulty expressing emotions, low self-esteem, and
perfectionistic qualities.

Loneliness is a feeling of not being welcome or accepted by anyone, whether by parents,

classmates or any other adults or peers. Lonely people are those among the highest risk for
suicide. People that have difficulty expressing their emotions often let anger or anguish build up
inside them, holding in these negative feelings until they break and it all comes spilling out at
once. Those who can cope with stressful situations better are generally individuals who dont
attempt suicide, but teenagers who are unable to express their emotions about the things that
bother them often look at themselves as emotionally dead, leading them to see no point in living.
Humans with low self-esteem usually have negative opinions about themselves, thinking they are
ugly and have no place in this world. People who feel great about themselves or have an
optimistic viewpoint usually have a high self-esteem; but people with high self-esteem attributes
such as good looks or kind personalities can still suffer from low self-esteem. There are also
those who are extremely intelligent, but take their perfectionist views to an unhealthy level by
setting too high of goals for themselves, becoming forlorn when theyre unable to achieve them.
These are just a few traits that are common in suicidal people, but there is never any real way to
determine how depressed someone is simply be looking at their personality traits. More than
30,000 people a year, 5,000 of them being teens kill themselves in the United States
(melissainstitute).
Many people cant tell when a teen is thinking about suicide until they look close enough,
listen harder, and look deeper into their thoughts. If you do these things, there are common
warning signs to determine how suicidal someone may be; they may ask questions like What
happens to your mind when your heart stops, or I wonder what its like to be dead? Another
way they may show signs is if they show great interest in any story in the newspaper or
conversation that involves a death or suicide (kpbs). A potential physical sign for a depressed

teen is they may not have concern for their personal appearance, as most teens want to fit in and
have the new clothes, shoes, and hair styles. If a teen begins to care less about their appearance,
it could be an indicator for their parents or friends to find out something is wrong.
When a young person is showing systems of disconnection from the world or fits of more
intense, uncontrolled emotion, the problem may be more serious. If a teenager begins to lose lack
of interest in everything they used to love such as sports, friends, school, or other hobbies, they
may be losing interest in life. Long periods of sitting down and staring into blank space or
sleeping all day is another sign that the person could be going through serious depression. If they
begin getting rid of items that they used to cherish is also a sign; giving away what means the
most to them could signify their preparations for ending their life. Increase in using drugs or
alcohol can be a major warning sign of severe depression.
Teen suicide is an awful and a sad thing to think about. There are many ways everyone
can help prevent people from committing suicide. The number one way to help is to keep rom
staying silent; if you hear someone say there are going to commit suicide, believe them. Dont
think the idea will pass, as most people who say it are serious. If the person tells you not to tell
anyone, you likely shouldnt listen to them because your decision to keep it silent could result in
their successfully ending their life. Offer comfort, but dont try giving advice. Suicidal teenagers
do not want to hear what you would do in the situation because you personally dont know how
they feel. Even if a depressed person asks for advice, they dont plan on following your
suggestions. Instead, they need to speak with a counselor or therapist, someone who can really
help them through their hard times. Never agree to stay silent. If youre dealing with a suicidal
person, you need to react and get them help as soon as possible. You personally dont know how
that person maybe feeling. You need to let the person know how serious this situation is, without

pretending to be an expert. If someone decides to confide in you, you should never argue with
them. They are already at a huge breaking point in their life, and he or she personally just needs a
friend, not an antagonist. If you ask questions while being understanding to them, you should
find out without really asking why they really are depressed, and will keep them from feeling
worse about the encounter. Getting the person to talk to you and being a good listener are the
best ways a friend or family member can help prevent someone from committing suicide.
There are many places you can go to get help for suicidal thoughts. You can tell your
parents, friends, family, priests, call 911, or even call a hotline that helps teenagers who are
struggling with intense depression. Suicide is growing every year among teens in the United
States. Suicide is never the way to solve a bad situation, as it will only worsen the situation
without allowing any sort of solution. Not only do you suffer personally when you commit
suicide; so do all your friends, family and everyone around you. There are many reasons why
people commit suicide, but even more reasons for them to live their lives and push through their
hardships. If we work together, we can begin preventing suicide from happening before a
depressed person even considers it as an option. Even in the bleakest of situations, as long as you
can find someone to support you and help you through it, there will always be a light at the end
of the tunnel.

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