Just last March 21, Alan Burdziak, reported that a 13-year old boy from Davidson Middle School of Southgate, Michigan, USA, took his own life with a bullet to his head in a restroom within the school premises (Burdziak. n. pag.). This kind of story doesn’t give us quite a shock these days. As it is, the suicide rate amongst teens has now become a rising problem, globally.
Almost everyday, all over the world, gruesome stories of teen suicides can be heard on local and national televisions, can be read on newspapers or can be accessed on the web. Even more appalling are teen suicides integrated into murderous rampages before actually taking their own lives. So, what induces the youths to end their lives? What fuels the alarmingly rising problem of teen suicide around the world?
Depression plays a major role in teen suicide. As reported in Teen Suicide Statistics, teens are most susceptible to depression given that teenage years are among the most difficult years of life. In this stage, the chemical or hormonal imbalance takes place as teens enter into the treshhold of adulthood. Without proper guidance, teens would likely fall prey to suicide. Debatably, there are other causes of teen suicide. But, it is crucial to note that the other causes are likely to graduate into or cause depression leading to suicide. One way or another, teen suicides are mostly caused by two or more factors. Another factor of teen suicide is substance abuse.
As Susan Scheff would put it, most people, young and old, commit suicide with a diagnosable mental disorder or substance abuse disorder (qtd. in National Institution of Mental Health). Substance abuse was heard of even in the early days. But this only happens to adults who have access to large sums of money, well-off, and are in stardom. Roger Pahuriray, in a study observed that teens nowadays have easy access to illegal substances. Also in the same article, Pahuriray disclosed that teens drink or use drugs “because it is fun, makes parties more fun, and helps them fit in with their peers and not feel left out” (qtd. in Partnership Attitude Tracking Study). For social acceptance, teens with low morale or those ventually left out in social gatherings, do it to be “one of them.”
Other factors include divorce, changes in home, domestic violence, bullying and financial difficulties. But all these point out to depression. With depression as the main culprit, below are the signs of teen depression (Teen Suicide Statictics. n. pag):
- Long and/or frequent periods of sadness ("the blues").
- Irritability.
- Mood swings.
- Anxiety.
- Dramatic changes in weight, diet, sleep and friends.
- Feelings of worthlessness.
- Feelings of unexplained or unreasonable guilt.
Therefore, it is important to spot the following signs before teen depression escalate and lead to suicide (Teen Suicide Statistic. n. pag.).
Depression and suicidal feelings are treatable mental disorders. The child or adolescent needs to have his or her illness recognized and diagnosed, and appropriate treatment plans developed. When parents are in doubt whether their child has a serious problem, a psychiatric examination can be very helpful (American Academy of Child and Aldolescent Psychiatry. n. pag).
Teen suicide around the globe is alarmingly increasing. To date, it has become the third cause deaths among persons aged 15-24 in the US (Scheff. n. pag.). Alarmingly, the numbers are rising. Depression has taken its toll among teens, not only in the US but around the world. So what fuels the disturbingly rising trend of death among teens?
Researchers Cutler, Glaeser, and Norberg have for reasons to believe why the increase of teen suicide is happening. Based on their study, they came up with four theories: Rationale Suicide, Strategic Suicide, Contagion and Instrumental.
The Rationale Suicide Theory, as the most convenient amongst all theories, means “rationally” ending one’s life when the expected value of the future utility of being alive is below the value of death (Cutler, Glaeser and Norberg 234). In this theory, it shows that when a teen thinks of him to be more likely as a liability other being an asset in the future, he tends to end his life the soonest possible. Simply said, if a teen would experience being branded as the “black sheep” of the family, the one with a bleak future, he would eventually morph himself as one. Then the problem continues until he succumbs to suicide or gets life imprisonment.
The second theory is Strategic Suicide. Cutler, Glaeser and Norberg think of this theory as applying to attempted suicides more than to successful suicides. This theory describes such teen suicide as a signal directed to parents that the teen is not at all happy. In some cases, the signal will convince adults that children are truly unhappy, and, thus, parents will devote more monetary or time resources to the child (Cutler, Glaeser and Norberg 236). But then, this theory gets abused. All along, the teens in question don’t necessarily want to die. All they needed was attention. But at times, teens get to die.
Contagion theory is perhaps the best way that explains the rise of teen suicides. Several epidemiological studies suggest that social contagion is a stronger factor in teen suicides and suicide attempts than in those by adults (qtd. in Gould, Jamieson, Romer 1994). Contagion may involve the direct influence of one teen’s suicidal behavior on another, or it may involve more indirect social and cultural processes, but, in either case, these “neighborhood effects” may multiply the effects (Cutler, Glaeser and Norberg 265).
In this particular theory, almost unlimited access to social netwok sites, reports on the television and newspapers regarding teen suicides, wayward teen parties, etc., gives a particularly depressed teen almost everything to dwell upon and contemplate what to do with his life. Then the almost effortless access to drugs and illegal substances – you have a sure recipe to disaster.
Instrumental Hypothesis, as Cutler, Glaeser and Norberg would define, is the theory where access to lethal means increases suicides. In this theory, suicide can be spontaneous, from the moment a teen entertains the thought of commiting suicide up to actually doing the deed, given the fact that all necessary tools or methods to accomplish his objective is readily available. This is where teen suicide and suicide-murders become a reality. Studies have borne out that suicide rates rise considerably when teens can access firearms in their home (Scheff. n. pag.). This shows that suicides likely occur and get done in homes where guns are accessible. In fact, nearly 60% of suicides committed in the United States that result in immediate death are accomplished with a gun (Scheff. n. pag.)
In conclusion, teen suicides happen when the teen is at its most vulnerable stage. Teens are more prone to depression, which in effect heightens their feeling of neglect and failure.
More often, teens are confused. They view problems or challenges differently, the way adults would. When faced with difficulties, teens tend to believe that there is no way out. More likely, they dwell on the feeling of desperation that eventually leads them to suicidal thoughts. Most teen doesn’t have any idea that depression is a treatable psychiatric disorder. Unfortunately, due to the often volatile relationship between teens and their parents, teens may not be as forthcoming about suicidal feelings as parents would hope (Scheff. n. pag).
It is important to realize that different factors affect different people in a variety of ways (Teen Suicide Statistics. n. pag.). Parents or guardins need to fully understand the pressures being faced by a teen. It would also help a lot that teens get to feel that they have somebody to lean on in times of difficulties.
Works Cited
Burdziak, Alan. “Authorities still seeking reason behind teen's suicide at Southgate school WITH VIDEO.” The Oakland Press 22 March 2013. n. pag. Web. 23 March 2013
Teen Suicide Statistics. “Teen Suicide Causes and Issues.” n. d. Web. 22 March 2013.
Scheff, Susan. “Teen Suicide: An Introduction.” Teen Suicide. n. d. Web. 22 March 2013
Roger Pahuriray. “Drug Abuse among Teens: Reasons, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention.” Depression Teens Help. n. d. Web. 24 March 2013
American Academy of Child and Aldolesccent Psychiatry. “Teen Suicide.” No. 10 (May 2008). Web. 24 March 2013
David M. Cutler, Edward L. Glaeser, and Karen E. Norberg. “Explaining the Rise in Youth Suicide.” Risky Behavior among Youths: An Economic Analysis 0-226-31013-2 (2001). 219-270. Web. 23 March 2013
Madelyn Gould, Patrick Jamieson, Daniel Romer. “Media Contagion Among the Young.” AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST Vol. 46 No. 9 (May 2003). 1269-1284. Web. 24 March 2013
