Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to find the connection between depression and suicide among youth, identify the percentage of young people that are affected by the depressive disorder and the percentage of those suffering from depression that have suicidal intentions.
It is important to study this issue because mental illness and following suicide attempts is a wide-spread complicated problem all around the world nowadays.
Research Question/Hypothesis
Research questions of this study are as follows:
What is the percentage of young people that suffer from depressive disorder?
What is the percentage of depressed youth that have thoughts of suicide?
Can depression be considered to be the major reason for suicidal behavior in young people?
Hypothesis. It is supposed that the depressive disorder will appear to be rather wide-spread between young people and that it is one of the major reasons for committing suicide.
Definition of Terms
Depression means a mental disorder, which foresees a depressed mood, decreased energy, pleasure or interest loss, poor concentration, low self-worth or feelings of guilt, and disturbed appetite or sleep. Depression frequently exposes the anxiety symptoms. Such problems may get recurrent or chronic (Marcus, Yasamy, Van Ommeren, Chisholm, & Saxena, 2012, p. 6).
Suicide means an act of terminating one’s own life intentionally (Gvion & Apter, 2016, p. 2).
Theoretical Framework
Depression and suicide among youth is widely discussed by the researchers worldwide. The third major death cause in adolescents in the U.S. is suicide and the second one in the countries of Europe. Behaviors of suicidal character are the most typical reason for psychiatric hospitalizations of adolescent in numerous states. Decreasing suicide and attempts of suicide is thus a key target of public health institutions (Consoli et al., 2013, p. 2).
For example, the study of Consoli et al. (2013) examined the associations between suicidality, family factors, and depression in adolescents of 17 years old. The authors divided the sample into 3 suicide risk grades of severity combining suicidality and depression (I - depressed without ideation of suicide and without attempts of suicide, II - depressed with ideations of suicide and III - depressed with attempts of suicide). The study’s results proved previous depression/suicidality risk factors in young people. Before, academic difficulties and school exclusion have been implicated in young people’s suicidality (Consoli et al., 2013, p. 8).
This study’s results show that use of substance, school years repeating and factors related to family were connected with an increased risk of suicide in depressed teenagers, regardless of the gender. As such, bad relationships with both or one parents, as well as a bad relationship between them, were connected with suicide behaviors (Consoli et al., 2013, p. 11).
Literature Review
Depression is pervasive globally and affects all people. Fortunately, a depression’s solution is available. Cost-effective and efficacious treatments can improve the lives and the health of the millions individuals worldwide that suffer from this disorder (Marcus, Yasamy, Van Ommeren, Chisholm, & Saxena, 2012, p. 8).
Depression’s symptoms and signs include: unexplained spells of crying or prolonged sadness; changes in sleep and appetite patterns; anger, irritability, anxiety, agitation, worry; indifference, pessimism; persistent lethargy, energy loss; worthlessness, guilt feelings; indecisiveness, inability to concentrate; social withdrawal, inability to be involved into previous interests; unexplained pains and aches; repeating thoughts of suicide or death (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 9).
Suicide means a final behavioral act that can be the end result of several factors’ interactions. It means a complex entity that includes biological, environmental and genetic factors of risk (Gvion & Apter, 2016, p. 2).
119 children of 10-14 years old in the U.S. committed suicide in 2007. Rates of suicide for children between 10 and 14 years old increased more than 50% during 1981-2007 ("Youth Suicide Fact Sheet", 2007).
The suicide attempts prevalence among National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) respondents makes 41%, which exceeds vastly the 4.6% of the overall population of the U.S. that report a lifetime attempt of suicide (Haas, Rodgers, & Herman, 2014, p. 2).
Suicide ranked as the third death reason for adolescents in 2007 (15-24 years old); only homicides and accidents took place more often. While suicides reached 1.4% of all U.S. deaths annually, they made 12.2% of all deaths of young people at the age of 15-24.
There are around 10 adolescents’ suicides every year for every 100,000 individuals; there are around 11. 3 suicides of youth every day; each 2 hours and 7 minutes, an individual younger than 25 years old commits suicide. As much as 34,598 individuals dead from suicide in 2007, out of which 4,140 were performed by persons of 15-24 years old.
Rates of suicide for adolescents at the age of 15-24, have doubled after 1950’s, and become significantly stable at such a high level during 1970’s and 1990’s. Since 1994 they have declined approximately 30%. During the recent 60 years, the rate of suicide has quadrupled for men of the age of 15-24, and doubled for women at this age ("Youth Suicide Fact Sheet", 2007).
According to Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner (2014), around 60-90% of victims of suicide have a serious psychiatric illness at their death time. They are frequently untreated, undiagnosed, or both. Disorders of mood (e.g. borderline personality disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.) and substance abuse are among the most typical.
In case both substance abuse and mood disorders are present, the suicide risk is significantly higher, especially for young adults and adolescents. There is evidence that in case open aggression, agitation, or anxiety is present in the depressed individuals, the suicide risk significantly increases.
The suicide risk is associated with brain chemicals changes that are called neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin). Serotonin’s decreased levels have been discovered in depressed individuals, a history of suicide attempts, impulsive disorders, and in the suicide victims’ brains (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 5). The future research will deal with the connection of depression with suicidal behavior among youth.
Newspapers, television, and film represent opportunities for suicide contagion’s indirect transmission by successive suicides compelling model portraying. A person may possess a pre-existing motivation to try suicide and exposure to themes that are related to suicide that can increase likelihood of suicide attempting in such a person.
Youth exposed to frequent suicide depictions on television are more likely to commit suicide. A significant association was also discovered between real-life suicide knowledge, frequent television suicides reporting, and an attempt of suicide (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 5).
According to the authors, dramatizing the suicide impact through pictures and descriptions of grieving relatives, classmates or teachers, or community’s grief expression can push prospective victims to consider suicide to be a getting attention way or as a retaliation against others form (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 7).
Thus, biopsychosocial factors of suicide risk include:
mental disorders: schizophrenia, disorders of mood, certain personality disorders, and anxiety disorders;
alcohol and other disorders related to substance use: hopelessness, abuse or trauma history, aggressive and/or impulsive tendencies, previous attempts of suicide, serious physical illnesses, history of suicide in the family;
environmental factors of risk include: financial or job loss, social or relational loss, easy lethal means access, local suicide clusters that provide a contagious impact;
Sociocultural factors of risk include: insufficient social support and isolation sense, stigma related to behavior of help-seeking, health care accessing barriers, particularly substance abuse and mental health treatment, some religious and cultural beliefs, other people influence that have committed suicide (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 10).
Warning signs of suicide include: speaking about desire to kill or hurt oneself or threatening to kill or hurt oneself; examining methods to kill oneself by searching for access to available pills, firearms, or similar; writing or talking about suicide, dying, or death, in case such actions are not typical for the individual; feeling uncontrolled anger or rage or looking for revenge; feeling hopeless; feeling like there is no way out; engaging in risky activities or acting reckless; withdrawing from society, family, and friends; growing use of drug or alcohol; feeling agitated or anxious, sleeping all the time or being unable to sleep; having dramatic changes of mood; having no purpose sense in life or understanding no reason for further living (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 11).
Additional signs of depression leading to suicide include arguing, picking fights; feeling beyond help, refusing help, sudden mood improvement after being withdrawn or down, hygiene and/or appearance neglect, non-participating in activities; favorite possessions’ giving away; verbal clues (as described below); a profound plan for where, when, and how; weapon’s obtaining; gestures of suicidal character (for example, cutting, overdose).
Direct verbal clues include the following: “I want to end it all”; “I prefer to be dead”; “I want to kill myself”; “If something does not happen, I want to kill myself”, and etc. (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 13).
Protective factors can be as follows: professional clinical care for substance use, physical, and mental disorders; good access for support and clinical interventions for help-seeking; limited access to lethal suicide means; close connections to community and family support; support via ongoing mental health and medical care interventions; problem solving, nonviolent disputes handling, and resolution of conflict skills; religious and cultural beliefs that support self-preservation and discourage suicide attempts (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 15).
According to Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner (2014), suicide of young people is a significant problem of public health in the U.S. It was the third major reason of death among teenagers and young adults of 10-24 years old in this country in 2004, causing 4,599 deaths. Even though the suicide rate among adolescents has slowly declined since 1992, it is still high. An abuse history, psychiatric disorders, academic problems, substance abuse, involvement in juvenile corrections, and similar problems are among the major suicidal behaviors’ contributors among adolescents, and only normal teenagers’ stress will not cause otherwise healthy youth to actions or thoughts of suicidal character (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 18).
Contributing to suicidal behavior among adolescents factors are as follows:
significant life transitions, e.g. first-time leaving home, can increase existing difficulties of psychological character or bring new ones;
campuses of college may contribute to the students’ stress disorders development including behaviors of suicidal character;
parental pressure to succeed and economic pressure to complete successfully an education and training course quickly may lead to the higher level of stress;
highest suicide rates are observed among graduate students;
graduate school women are at the most significant risk among students;
older teenagers that return to school in some time present high rates of suicide;
worries about the future workplace, financial burdens, and uncertainties regarding the future market of job (particularly for those involved in academic and research careers) are significant graduate students’ stressors (Dyak, Gallo Dyak, Deutchman, & Conner, 2014, p. 19).
Methodology
Philosophy
The study will follow the philosophy of post-positivism approach. That means that it will be a mixed research, either quantitative or qualitative methods will be used.
Approach
The study will use either quantitative or qualitative research methods.
Qualitative Research. Overall, scientific investigation foresees certain aspects: makes attempts to answer various questions; offers evidence; apply certain pre-established procedures to answer the question of research; offers results that may be used beyond the immediate boundaries of the study; provides outcomes that were not presupposed.
Qualitative research investigates a problem under discussion from the perspective of local population. This kind of research is particularly effective for receiving information that is specific culturally with regards to the social contexts, opinions, values, and certain individuals’ behaviors ("Qualitative Research Methods Overview", n.d.).
Quantitative Research. Quantitative research foresees the numerical representation of the data in order to provide explanation and describe the phenomena reflected by such observations. It is broadly used for a variety of social and natural studies, e.g. physics, biology, psychology, sociology and geology. It utilizes empirical methods and statements.
The types of quantitative research are as follows: 1) correlational research, 2) causal-comparative research, 3) experimental research and 4) survey research (Sukamolson, n.d.).
In case of this study it is supposed to use both qualitative and quantitative research.
Research Design and Strategy
The research will use the following instruments for data receiving:
Questionnaires;
Interviews.
Sample: young people of 10-24 years old; parents; school psychologists.
Young people (150 persons) will be offered to answer the questions regarding their scope of knowledge about mental diseases (mainly depression) and the ways of dealing with them; the cases of depressive disorders in themselves and their family members/friends, whether they have ever had thoughts of suicide and why, and etc.
Parents (150 persons) will be asked questions about their relationships with their children, ways of identification of mental disorders in them; their actual or prospective actions in case they suppose that the child is depressed; individuals/institutions they will possibly approach, and etc.
Data Collection and Analysis Methods
The questionnaires will be distributed among young people (mostly students) and parents that wish to participate in the survey. The dates and time of interviews with the school psychologists will be appointed beforehand; the location will be their working places at schools.
The questionnaires will be analyzed from the quantitative point of view and interviews – from qualitative.
Discussion
Even though there are many intervention and prevention efforts, suicide and depression in teen continue to be an important concern of community health institutions. Adults dealing with adolescents should take care that their institution trains staff fellows and colleagues concerning teen suicide and depression. Young people demonstrating suicide and/or depression warning signs have to be early detected and immediately referred to corresponding professionals in mental health. Also, actions to promote good mental health in adolescents are very important. The major component to depression/suicide effective prevention is the positive emotional and social connections’ development among supportive adults and teens (King & Vidourek, 2012, 17).
Previous research proved the connection between depression and suicide in young people. The proposed research will provide the audience with an enhanced picture and will improve the understanding of the problem.
References
Consoli, A., Peyre, H., Speranza, M., Hassler, C., Falissard, B., & Touchette, E. et al. (2013). Suicidal behaviors in depressed adolescents: role of perceived relationships in the family. Child And Adolescent Psychiatry And Mental Health, 7(8), 8-11. Retrieved from http://www.isir.upmc.fr/files/2013ACLI2951.pdf
Dyak, B., Gallo Dyak, M., Deutchman, L., & Conner, D. (2014). Picture This: Depression and Suicide Prevention. Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., 5-19. Retrieved from http://suicideprevention.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ARSP-SP-for-entertainment-industry_picturethis.pdf
Haas, A., Rodgers, P., & Herman, J. (2014). Suicide Attempts among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults. American Foundation For Suicide Prevention, 2. Retrieved from http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf
King, K. & Vidourek, R. (2012). Teen Depression and Suicide: Effective Prevention and Intervention Strategies. The Prevention Researcher, 19(4), 17. Retrieved from http://www.opecconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Suicide-Prevention-and-Intervention-Article1.pdf
Marcus, M., Yasamy, T., Van Ommeren, M., Chisholm, D., & Saxena, S. (2012). DEPRESSION. A Global Public Health Concern. WHO, 6. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/who_paper_depression_wfmh_2012.pdf
Qualitative Research Methods Overview. FAMILY HEALTH INTERNATIONAL. Retrieved from http://www.ccs.neu.edu/course/is4800sp12/resources/qualmethods.pdf
Sukamolson, S. Fundamentals of quantitative research. Chulalongkorn University. Retrieved from http://www.culi.chula.ac.th/Research/e-Journal/bod/Suphat%20Sukamolson.pdf
Youth Suicide Fact Sheet. (2007). American Association Of Suicidology. Retrieved from http://211bigbend.net/PDFs/YouthSuicideFactSheet.pdf
