Category: Suicide

Introduction

Suicide rate among young people has increased in the 21^st century. Statistics reveal that over five thousand youths commit suicide each year within the USA only. Suicide is revealed as one of the most common cause of death for people as compared to other causes like accidents and homicide.

The question now lies on how the governments together with the society can counter these unnecessary suicidal deaths. However most of the governments rely only on medical approach since they lack incentives for traditional healing practices. In the Canadian communities where cultural practices are maintained the responses towards social roles produce positive results amongst the youths. Most of the negative responses are attributed to social disintegration and marginalization of the young people (White and Jodoin, 2007).

There in need for each community to be accountable for its young people. This can be enhanced through different sustainable programs that respond appropriately to community needs. Spiritual intervention can also be an important way of reducing suicidal effects within the community; it provides a lot of knowledge concerning one’s respect and relationship with others. Also upgrading of residential schools is one of the vital projects that should be focused upon.

These are some of the projects that help the young people to see beyond present troubles that they encounter and maintain focus of getting better in times ahead. It makes provides them with opportunities to participate in recreational activities which form part of mental health and development (White and Jodoin, 2007; Hawton and James, 2005).

There is major concern about the progress of the general health of native youths in Canada. Majority of the research conducted have not yet revealed on the various people’s health needs. This is especially on children based on geographical location, culture and socio-economic status.

Suicides amongst the Canadian youth have been found to be growing at an alarming rate, statistic show that the rate of occurrence amongst the Canadians is higher than that of non-Canadian youths. Suicide has been documented as one of the major cause of death amongst the youth accounting for almost 38% of all youth deaths (Viner and Barker, 2005). Girls or ladies are prone to die easily from suicide as compared to their male counterparts; this puts a very high risk on the survival of this generation.

Higher percentage of all deadly accidents within the youth community is linked to suicide (White and Jodoin, 2007). Youth Suicide rates in Canada is well documented in view of the efforts made to conserve and promote Canadian culture and taking control over key issues of life within the Society. This problem can better be described in various social ways such as psychological and socio-cultural.

Research question

Why are suicide rates high amongst the Canadian young citizens as compared to the rest of the youths from other countries of the world? The issue of suicide is of national concern since it has led to the death of young and innocent ones and this presents a threat to the strength of the future generation.

The youth suicide problem amongst Canada’s youth society is the main focus of the research. It is of importance to individuals and groups that are ready to take the initiative of developing and putting into practice suicide prevention programs.

Rationale of the Research

The issue in this research is to identify the major causes of Suicide amongst the Canadian youths and the consequent result to the society. There have been increased incidences of suicide in the recent past with the youths being the most affected.

The research was conducted amongst a number of youths who were allowed to participate in focus groups and educational presentations. This prepared their ability to respond to surveys carried and make accurate responses. The research was conducted based on age and the status (White and Jodoin, 2007).

The research is relevant to Canadian youths in that it helps them focus on the important issues within the society and how to avoid unnecessary socio-cultural conflicts that may lead them to commit suicide. It provides the various avenues that can be used and applied by the government to ensure proper youth lifestyles are restored within respective communities.

The paper also identifies one of the major causes of suicide which is influence brought by drugs and alcohol. This research identifies the ways on which youth’s identity can be improved, enhancement of their self-esteem and behaviors.

There is need to provide interventions that virtually supports the moral ethics within the community amongst the youth. This fosters healing of traumas from past social evils and develops strategies on how to link the youths with values that will enable them live healthy lives. Despite the increase in the number of suicide this issue is preventable through innovative processes and socially sensitive initiatives (White, 2005).

Literature review

Review of available literature shows that the rate of suicide within the Canadian community has increased in recent times. This rate was very low before the culture interaction between Europeans and Canadians. The rate is currently higher amongst native youths than the immigrants. However not every community within Canada experiences high rate of suicide amongst the youths.

The rate appears to be different based on respective regions and provinces, however the degree of occurrence is assumed to be higher than what is shown through the statistics. The data provided on the rates of suicide excludes the non-registered natives who might be living elsewhere; hence the actual number is under-estimated. There is also the probability that a number of suicidal deaths go un-reported and are often considered normal accidents, hence incorrectly reported (White and Jodoin, 2007).

There was need to include all other issues associated with suicide like thoughts about committing suicide and attempts towards suicide. All these present some psychological and social impacts amongst the Canadian youth community. It is also of importance to analyze the whole issue based on population characteristics. Most of the natives who commit suicide are found to be young and most likely unmarried.

The degree of suicide is determined by the kind of weapon used to commit it i.e. use of guns, drugs, or hanging ropes. It is also noted that a series of suicides from a particular location might be attributed to a suicide committed by one young person of the same peer group (Viner and Barker, 2005).

There are certain factors and characteristics that are associated with those who commit suicide, these factors might be environmental or emotional. This is largely dependent on family background and peer influence, this might be as result of economic ability or breach on cultural values.

These factors show clearly the reasons as to why suicide is so prevalent amongst the young men. Therefore there is need to develop strategies to counter the most vulnerable factors. Most of the young people are brought up in rural communities where they seem to be far away from vital information concerning their social lives. The stressful living conditions need to be changed through community development initiatives that aim at securing better lives for the young generation (White and Jodoin, 2007).

Previous research shows that suicide amongst the youth takes place under the influence of interaction between several factors. Each factor presents potential risk to the general response of Canadian youths. Study of the American culture revealed that more protective initiatives taken to prevent suicide produced positive results.

According to centre for Suicide Prevention report (2007), preventive measures should be given first priority to enable success of other measures used within the hospitals. Early intervention should be done immediately after detecting abnormal behavior on particular groups (White, 2005).

The effect of cultural intervention is for the purposes of preventing some commonly known risk factors within specific communities. This helps in restoring cultural identity to the youths and also makes them accept the challenges they might face from youths of other cultures. The strong sense of belonging and values are important in the process of preventing suicide. Programs on the skills of living amongst the youths are encouraged to help in eliminating life-threatening behaviors.

The environments that are frequently visited by youths should be restructured to offer necessary support to the youths. Several themes are developed when undertaking such a study, these include; the availability of upgraded medical care, the use of culturally driven measures, the need of making youths aware of the importance of culture, value and identity (Viner and Barker, 2005).

Difficult situations lead to teenage suicides, these tough emotional states are also experienced by the adults whose reactions tend to be different from that of young people. Researches have shown that proper emotional support from family members or peer groups can act as a good preventive measure for extreme emotional feelings.

Beside normal pressure there are those specific circumstances that can contribute to youth suicides, these include; parental divorce, sexual abuse, domestic violence and parental neglect. Depression contributes the highest percentage of committed suicide amongst the young people since it causes apathy within them. Easy access to firearms provides them with an easy way to end their lives (Mignone and O’Neil, 2005).

Limitations to the research

There are poor responses during data collection due to the fact that most youths fear sharing their personal experiences. The cross-cultural differences amongst Canadian communities also contribute to poor data collection due to communication barrier. There is heterogeneity within the sample groups that further complicates the process of data interpretation.

Conclusion

There is need for expansive research in this area in order to establish different solutions necessary to overcome suicide amongst the youth. The various studies are yet to come up with appropriate prevention measures that can be used in this field. The values attributed to youthful stages evolve rapidly hence require close attention by the elders within the society. They need necessary resources and space to participate in the building of the society.

Suicides have direct negative effect on the community members and may involve victims who are closely related. The existing healthcare services seem very inadequate to counter the increasing rate of suicide within the communities. The healthcare services should be integrated to cater for expansive social network. Cultural renewal and identity should be revived as a way of encouraging the young people to hold on to the good values.

References

Hawton, K., & James, A. (2005). Suicide and deliberate self harm in young people. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), (7496):891-894.

Mignone, J., & O’Neil, J. (2005). Social capital and youth suicide risk factors in first nation communities. Canadian Journal of Public Health, (96): S51- S54

Viner, R. & Barker, M. (2005). Young people’s health: The need for action. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.), 330 (7496): 901-903

White, J. & Jodoin, N. (2007). Aboriginal Youth: A manual of Promising suicide prevention strategies.Canadian Mental health Association Journal, (3): 9-185

White, J. (2005). Preventing Suicide in Youth: Taking action with Imperfect knowledge. BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, Ontario Canada.(found at MHECCU)

Suicide may be defined as an attempt to kill oneself. It is the act of taking your life by your own hands or by other violent means. Suicide happens all around the globe but in the United States, the rate of committing suicide is increasing day by day. Some horrible incidents made headlines in America in the past as stories of suicide became known. The last couple of decades has been really bad for Americans as suicide news kept appearing in the media.

Now, suicide is considered one of the most common reasons for death. “Four [young persons] from Bergenfield, New Jersey, locked themselves in a garage, turned on the car motor, and killed themselves. The following week four youths in Ohio took their lives, and another couple in Bergenfield tried to kill themselves in the same garage that was the scene of the earlier suicide. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the rate of … suicide has doubled since 1972” (Kohl, 1987).

The decade of the 60s and 70s in which the trend of suicide started and never stopped. The macabre of death kept on haunting the nation. The following decades brought more death and more suicides. These alarming developments continue to portray a grim picture of American society today and figures from different sources vouch for that. (Wilcox, 2004)

Many reasons can be the cause of committing suicide. Many social, physiological, psychological causes affect a person’s behavior and lead them towards suicide. Suicide also causes many social problems and becomes a cause of concern for society as a whole rather than families if such acts continue to take place.

But does a person have the right to kill himself? Many would want to argue against the presence of such a right but there are some proponents of this right as well and according to them, the right to suicide is closely linked with the right to self-determination. Some arbiters may prefer morality over reality. But at the same time, facts can not be totally ignored. Normal rules for morality are tested hard in such extreme scenarios, where the deliberate ending of the life of a human being is decided. History reveals that killing a human is not always and essentially regarded as a sin. It mostly depends on the situation. As far as suicide is concerned, there is a school of thought that supports its arguments in favor of both forms of suicide i.e., active and passive. To assess and analyze the true perspective of its proponents, few major arguments in its favor are highlighted below:

• Argument – 1 (To End Pain and Suffering). Life is a precious gift of God. It is a source of happiness and joy. It however sometimes may bring distress, suffering, sorrows, and agony. The human body can sustain pain to a certain limit. More so, the pain having no ending becomes unbearable. The proposition merely is that individuals, who are undergoing an incurable and fatal disease contributing to a terrible and painful death, should be permitted through legislation to opt for quick and spontaneous death. Such individuals would have already lost any hope for life and instead of waiting for an agonizing ending of their lives they should be assisted in ‘good death’. This argument stresses the need of relieving the pain and suffering of individuals. (Bob Lane, 2005)
• Argument- 2 (Autonomy and Self Determination). This argument derives its strength from the fact that every human being enjoys the right to freedom and self-determination. Just imagine a person suffering from depression or some serious problems and seeks to end his life, is he not entitled to decide what is best for him? Moreover, when he is sure that there is no hope for him in this world and he doesn’t want to live in misery, why is it not alright to let him decide what’s right for him. Who are we to decide that he must continue to live in pain and misery? The judgment of such a person should be respected. The proponents of the theory strive to convince that after all alternatives have been thoroughly considered, this person has the right to make a choice to live in suffering or to die. (Bob Lane, 2005)
• Argument – 3 (Moral and Legal Legitimacy). As ridiculous as this may sound, it is felt that some forms of suicide may actually beneficial to the one killed. If it is not suicide by hand, and a person decides to kill himself through his physician then it may act of kindness.

There are some views on the subject of the right to kill one’s self. This is a highly controversial subject and one that cannot be decided in categorical terms.

References

• Wilcox, B. (2004). Children at Risk. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. 140: 12+.
• Kohl, H. (1987). Pushing Kids Away; What Teen Suicide Means. The Nation. 244.
• Euthanasia, the debate continues by Bob Lane. Web.

Introduction

With the current scientific innovations, more so in the world of medicine, medical practitioners have the capability of saving numerous lives, a case that was contrary some few decades ago, because of the absence of life-supporting technological equipment and medicines. Although such technological innovations have given medical practitioners the power of saving lives, through providing remedies to health complications that lacked cure and mechanisms of prolonging lives, some medical complications, for example, cancer still lack a remedy.

That is to say, although current technological innovations in medicine have helped to save lives, some medical conditions are irreversible hence, regardless of the technological equipment used; such endeavors to prolong life will only mean lengthened suffering to patients with degenerated health conditions.

For example, consider a case of a skin cancer patient; although there exist medical remedies that can ease (but not cure) their suffering, in extreme cases the pain is unendurable hence, prolonging such an individual’s life will only increase their suffering. Another case is of a patient with un-curable respiratory tract infections; the majority of these like patients must always be under a breathing support machine (Doyal and Doyal p.1).

Hence, considering the pain that these patients go through, and the fact that most critically ill patients with incurable diseases rarely survive, there is a need for societies to legalize assisted suicide.

Why Assisted Suicide should be a Patient’s Decision

Maintaining critically ill patients is one of the costly activities that families have to incur in their endeavors to save the lives of their loved ones. Hence, because of the costs associated with maintaining patients under these machines, after the death of such a patient most families face a financial crisis, a case they could have prevented had they assisted their loved ones to end their lives.

Considering this, and because in the long run, such individuals will finally die after prolonged suffering, although the law prohibits assisted suicide, there is a need for the law to respect patients’ requests. This should be the case primarily because, regardless of the ethicalness of assisted suicide, all individuals have a moral obligation of determining the course their lives should take, on condition that, their choices have no detrimental effects on others and that in making such choices nobody forced them (Doyal and Doyal 1).

Most communities have illegalized assisted suicide, as most individuals view it as an immoral act and an undignified way of ending life. Although this is the case, one thing that most of these individuals fail to recognize is that some medical conditions are irreversible; hence, prolonging individual’s live means increasing their suffering and hopelessness.

Assisted suicide is the general practices of helping the terminally ill and suffering end their lives, on condition that the request for the same. Depending on the available means of ending life and the prevailing conditions, assisted suicide can involve removing individuals from life-supporting machines or using specific medicine that shutters the functioning of the body systems (Weir 79-90).

It is important for societies to note that, although some individuals may have the will to end their lives because they cannot endure any more the suffering associated with their health condition, most individuals lack the power to do so, because of their condition. Considering this, it is necessary to respect such individuals will, for they have all the rights over their bodies, but all they lack is the strength to do whatever they wish.

Lying in most health institutions are individuals going through extreme suffering, because of their medical conditions, conditions that have rendered them incapable of meeting their wishes in a respected and humane way. Majority of anti-assisted suicide campaigners rarely recognize this, as most of them fail to realize that these individuals are extremely suffering; hence, require an external helping hand in achieving their desired will.

Yes, no one can deny that it is purely immoral to end another person’s life; however, why should individuals prolong another person’s life even when they are very sure that it is their medical complications are irreversible (Caplan and Snyder 5-22).

To some extent, the argument by anti-assisted suicide campaigners that, by allowing individuals to terminate others lives when requested may pose great dangers to terminally ill patients is correct, as most doctors may misuse that opportunity. However, it is important to for them to note that, for doctors or any sought source to help the suffering individuals end their lives, there must be a signed agreement or a spoken authorization; hence, such individuals act on compassion grounds in helping them achieve their desired will.

In addition, the majority of individuals who seek external assistance to terminate their lives understand their medical conditions or know the expenses their un-curable diseases, for example, respiratory infections may cost their respective families. Hence, denying them such a request greatly violates their fundamental rights to decide on the direction their lives should take; something they could have done was they healthy (Drickamer, Lee, and Ganzini Para. 4-12).

Another thing that assisted suicide opponents to fail to realize is that, even if the society fails to help to terminally ill individuals whenever they request for it, in the end, majority of these terminally ill individuals never survive.

That is, although societies may fail to help them, in the end, their medical conditions cannot allow them to live for long; hence eventually they are bound to die after suffering for very long periods. Considering this, it purely beats logic on why the society should be very much obsessed with the natural death concept, by overlooking the nature of pain sick individuals must endure before they die (Drickamer, Lee, and Ganzini Para. 3-9).

Although no human being has the authority of taking another human being life, why should individuals disobey the suffering individual’s wishes to die, but instead opt to see their health conditions deteriorate as each new day dawn in the name of saving a life? The human belief that life is precious has clouded and colonized the human mind to the extent that individuals rarely see other peoples’ sufferings.

In normal societal settings, as most individuals prefer, it is better to prolong a suffering individual’s life than assisting them to end their lives, for emotional gratification. No one can deny that; everybody should aim to preserve life; however, is it not selfish to see others go through unbearable pain for personal reasons and gratification?

Therefore, because it is the sick who know what they are going through, they should have the power to decide the directions their lives should take; hence the need to respect their call whenever they seek assistance to terminate their lives (Hajj 1).

Conclusion

In conclusion, because no individual may understand what experiences the sick are going through and the nature of pain accompanying such experiences, the law should allow the sick or suffering to have the power of deciding the right time to terminate their lives. Also, every human being recognizes that life is consecrated; hence, no one has the right to force other individuals to decide the fate of their lives; hence, patients should make personal choices.

On the other hand, because some individuals or doctors may force patients to make this like a decision against their will, it is necessary for the government to legalize assisted suicide and draft tough legislation to govern the practice. Finally, on compassion and humane grounds, there is no need to prolong a suffering individual’s life, when everybody is very sure that chances of such individuals surviving are minimal, because of the complex nature of their health complications.

Works Cited

Caplan, A., and Snyder, L. Assisted suicide: finding a common ground. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2002. Web.

Doyal, L. and Doyal, L. Why active euthanasia and physician assisted Suicide should be legalized. BMJ, 323 (2001): 1079-1080. Web.

Drickamer, M., Lee, M., and Ganzini, L. Practical issues in Physician Assisted suicide. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2010. Web.

Hajj, M. The right to die. The Guardian, 2010. Web.

Weir, R. Physician-assisted suicide. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1997. Web.

Introduction

This research explores the witnessed increase in teenage suicide in the United States. Factors that are attributed to the causes of teenage suicide have always drawn mixed reactions from policymakers, parents, and organizations that work to prevent the issue in America, specifically in the state of New Jersey, which forms the focus of this research. This study is done based on questions that relate to demographic and educational factors that fuel teenage suicide.

A sample of 25 New Jersey residents will be deployed to get data whose analysis and interpretation will help in drawing conclusions for this research. Questionnaires will be used as a major tool for data collection.

The analyzed data will help to confirm whether income, level of education, and demographic factors determine teenage suicide in New Jersey. The results of this research confirm that low levels of education, low income, unemployment, and living around Hispanic and Black people might determine the cause of suicide for New Jersey teenagers.

Limitations

This study faced various limitations in the process of collecting and analyzing the subject. The time span for carrying out the research was limited. Hence, only a small pool of respondents was sampled. The available time only allowed exclusive data collection from 25 participants in New Jersey. Since the total population of New Jersey’s residents is far higher than this figure, the sample was very small. However, it was representative of the entire population.

Review of Literature

According to Szumilas and Kutcher, teenage suicide is one of the major causes of teenage deaths in the United States (596). Although there has been a decrease in the rate of teenage suicide in New Jersey, 4.6% of teenagers who have been committing suicide in the last five years is still considered high due to the value of life in this state.

Klimes-Dougan et al. confirm that the reasons for teenage suicide have ranged from infection with incurable sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, financial stress, job loss, demotion, jilting by lovers, cheating spouses, and drug and substance abuse (129). The state of New Jersey is rated the third lowest in cases of teenage suicide. Both the state and national governments have enacted various policies in an effort to zero-rate cases of teenage suicide.

The weight of the matter and value of life makes the government and nongovernmental organizations invest resources in minimizing the menace. Murphy observes that the rate of teenage suicide in New Jersey is higher in males compared to females (44). Although the rate of successful suicides is higher in men than in women, the latter makes more attempts to commit suicide than men (Szumilas and Kutcher 596).

For example, between 2009 and 2011, New Jersey recorded more than seven out of 100,000 men who committed suicide compared to close to two out of 100,000 females in the same period (Szumilas and Kutcher 598). Nonetheless, almost 60 out of 100,000 females attempted to commit suicide compared to roughly 35 out of 100,000 males in the same period. Women who attempted suicide ended up in hospitals where they were treated, discharged, and in most cases, prosecuted.

Research by Szumilas and Kutcher also indicates that teenage suicide is higher in Hispanics or Latinos compared to other races that reside in New Jersey (599). In addition, the rate of teenage suicide is higher in the rural parts of New Jersey compared to the urban areas. Silas and Kutcher have also found a higher predisposition to teenage suicide among gays and lesbians (600).

Therefore, the government has established quick response measures, including hotline numbers that work 24 hours in a bid to reduce cases of successful and attempted teenage suicide.

According to Klimes-Dougan et al., suicide is the third leading cause of teenage in the United States after accidents and manslaughter (131). Teenage suicide accounts for 13 in every 100,000 (0.01%) adolescent deaths. According to Szumilas and Kutcher, in the next ten years, it is projected that 0.1% of youths in the United States will commit suicide (602). In the modern-day US, 14% of teenagers have confirmed considering taking away their lives within the last twelve months.

While 4% of them have confirmed trying suicide, 1% of them have testified visiting a health officer for such evil trials. Although researchers have shown a higher rate of teenage suicide in rural states compared to urban states, the disparity is still small (Szumilas and Kutcher 602). For example, although New Jersey is an urban state, teenage suicide is still evident. Suicide rates in New Jersey have been rated the third lowest in the US at 6.2% in every 100,000 teenagers after New York and Colombia (Szumilas and Kutcher 603).

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families reveals a decrease in suicidal rate among teenagers in New Jersey. For example, the latest available suicide report indicates that teenage suicide decreased from 5.3% in 2010 to 4.2% in 2011 below the national teenage suicide rate of 5.8%.

However, the rate of teenage suicide is still high. Families continue to grief over their loved ones whom they have lost to suicide. Suffocation, hanging, use of firearms, poisoning, and falls stand out as some of the leading causes of teenage suicide deaths in New Jersey (Szumilas and Kutcher 603).

One of the major unexplored areas in research is the cause of death among teenagers who commit suicide. In fact, secondary literature towards this end is rare. The available literature from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2010 database presents hanging as suffocation as the leading suicidal methods among the youths in New Jersey at 40.1%. The second method of teenage suicide, which takes 28.5%, is shooting using a firearm.

Self-poisoning using drugs takes 12.1% while falls from high points come fourth at 3.9% followed by the use of poisoning gas at 3.8%, use of sharp objects at 3.4%, self-drowning at 2.8%, jumping in front of a moving vehicle/train at 1.5%, burning/fire at 0.7, and the use of motor vehicle crash at 0.3%. However, the reason behind the choice of method of committing suicide is scarcely researched.

Murphy claims that the available research indicates that the choice of method of suicide depends on the availability of the tool such as a gun, rope, drug, gas, sharp object, vehicle, or even a speeding train (44). Silas and Kutcher reveal that the choice of method of suicide is dependent on the level of education or the teenager’s urgency for suicide (604). This research explores this area in detail.

Methodology

This study sought to find out the reasons behind the varied causes of suicidal deaths among teenagers in New Jersey. Therefore, the research was carried out through the participation of New Jersey residents.

Sampled Population

From the population of New Jersey, this research sampled 25 residents who were to help in responding to the questionnaires. The respondents were divided into three stratums, namely high school youths, university-level teenagers, and out-of-school adolescents from New Jersey. After the researcher informed these respondents about the research and its objectives, they all agreed to volunteer information.

Materials

This study was founded on a fourteen-question questionnaire that had both closed and open-ended questions. The first five questions asked about the demographic characteristics of the respondent. Other questions revolved around the respondents’ income levels, their education, and the key issues concerning the research topic. The respondents were required to maintain the secrecy of their persons while responding to the questionnaires.

Procedure

The research was carried out in the state of New Jersey. The process took a period of six days from December 22 to the 28th day of the same month. On the first day, the researcher requested the sampled high-school teenagers to fill the questionnaires. On December 24, the researcher visited and requested the sampled university-level adolescents to answer the questions. On December 28, the researcher visited the out-of-school youngsters and requested them to fill the questionnaires.

Results

The study was set out to investigate the causes of suicidal deaths among teenagers in the American state of New Jersey. Therefore, the findings were based on the 25 respondents whose age was between 13 and 19 years. These teenagers resided in different cities in New Jersey, ranging from Kenilworth, Elizabeth, Linden, and Newark, among others. Among the respondents, 50% of them were Hispanic/Latinos, 23% were African-Americans, 15% were Asians, and 12% were the Whites.

The study began by asking the respondents whether they had ever attempted suicide. Ten respondents affirmed that they had attempted suicide at least once while the rest (15) responded that they had never attempted it. In another question, 12 (48%) respondents responded that they had contemplated suicide at least once in their lives.

The remaining 13 (52%) of the 25 responded that they had never attempted or contemplated suicide. Only five (20%) of the 25 teenagers responded that they had contemplated suicide more than once. Another question indicated that three (12%) of the 25 respondents had attempted suicide more than once.

When asked why they had neither attempted nor contemplated suicide, eight of 13 respondents said that they turned to God/religion for answers to their problems whenever they were stressed. Two respondents said that they turned to drugs and alcohol. Besides, while the other two respondents said that they naturally valued life and that they understood the consequence of suicide, the remaining one interviewee said that he had never got to the point of thinking of terminating his life.

When they were asked how they had learned to value their lives, one of the two respondents said that he had attended a conference on anti-youth suicide in Jersey while the other one answered that he had learned the ill effects of suicide at school. When asked the same question, three out of the eight respondents who said that they turn to religion whenever they faced a stressful situation answered that they had learned in church that God prohibited suicide.

One out of the eight interviewees had learned that it was a sin to commit suicide from the Mosques. While three out of the eight interviewees responded that they had learned the futility of suicide and the sacred nature of life from school, the remaining one respondent had learned from a friend about turning to God for answers concerning mysteries of life.

When they were asked why they contemplated committing suicide, two (16%) of the 12 respondents who had earlier responded that they had considered suicide cited stressors such as lack of finances as the other four (32%) cited rejection by their lovers or a relationship gone sour. While two (16%) cited early pregnancy, three (25%) cited incurable sexually transmitted diseases. Only one (8.3%) of the 12 respondents cited job-related factors such as demotion, retrenchment, and being sacked from a job.

When they were asked about the method of suicide that they had tried to use when they attempted suicide, four (40%) of the ten interviewees responded that they had tried to hang themselves. Three (30%) of them responded that they had tried to suffocate themselves using carbon gas, while two of them (20%) responded that they had tried to shoot themselves using a firearm. Only one of them (10%) responded that she had tried to poison herself using a harmful drug.

Summary

The issue of teenage suicide has been common not only in the US but also in other parts of the world. The research has presented the various factors that fuel teenage suicide in New Jersey. However, it has made it clear that more research needs to be done concerning the choice of methods that the victims adopt.

This area forms the most important part of the questions that this research was trying to investigate. This group was considered vulnerable to suicide. For instance, when they were asked about the method of suicide they had attempted to use in committing suicide, various methods were cited, including the use of a rope, hanging, or even firearms.

Works Cited

Klimes-Dougan, Bonnie, Chih Yuan, Steve Lee, and Alaa Houri. “Suicide prevention with Adolescents: Considering Potential Benefits and Untoward Effects of Public Service Announcements.” The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide prevention 30.3(2009): 128-135. Print.

Murphy, Kathryn. “What can I do to prevent teen Suicide?” Nursing 1.1 (2005): 43-45. JSTOR.

Szumilas, Magdalena, and Stan Kutcher. “Teen Suicide Information on the Internet: A systematic Analysis of Quality.” Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 54.9(2009): 596-604. Print.

Introduction

This case involves the sudden suicide of a young girl in an Australian school. Among the parties affected are school staff, friends, teachers, students and parents. They have many questions regarding why a young girl with a wonderful future would end up ending her life?

They also feel great stress and need support from a therapist who is able to help them cope with this situation and their negative emotions as “the role of emotion in self-preservation is a central theme for all the survivors of complex trauma” (Wastell, 2005).

As such, the needs of each individual should be addressed carefully, as well as the needs of the community as the whole. The school community involving all the parties mentioned above is the main client to this case study.

The school staff is devastated by the fact that they may live to see another’s loss. It should be noted that they take care of the students and what happened to Anne could actually happen to another student. There is going to be lack of trust, especially from parents.

When a child is in high school, the community believes that the parents pay school fees, and the teachers are the source of knowledge, and the staff members babysit the students, yet with such a ‘fine’ system a child ends up committing suicide.

Moreover, the problems Anne went through were not addressed by the staff so the community will ultimately attack them, thus the staff will have to be more careful, next time they will need to have a watchful eye on the students. They should also interact socially so that a child suffering from a problem can entrust it to somebody so close to them like the janitor, unlike teachers who may exhibit fear, school staff does not.

The teachers also have a very big burden, being the main providers of knowledge, the society expects them to understand psychological needs of the students. They should be able to read into a child’s mind and tell what he or she is going through.

On the same note, they should be in a position to talk to the child and when they cannot handle the problem they forward the student to the school canceller who may take away the child’s burden. A student spends most of his/her time with the teacher not the parent and the staff, so its upon the teacher to take extra cushion in regard to what goes on in the mind of a student.

Friends are the people closest to us and if they cannot tell when we are experiencing depression and stress then who can? Thus they are also to be blamed when a person decides to commit suicide. Whereas it takes long for an experienced shrink to get to know the secrets of a patient, a friend lives everyday experiencing these secret truths.

In case of Anne, she had informed those closest to her that she needed time alone, if only one of the friends intervened by either talking to her or reporting the matter to somebody else, this child’s life would probably have been saved.

Considering other students: desk mates, team mates, locker mates, Anne was with them all through; when she was developing acne they were there, when she missed classes or team practice they noted yet they didn’t do much. It is the responsibility of every party in a school to know what goes on with their mates or neighbors.

The parents are responsible for their kids, they bring them to the world and they are the same people who pay for the school fees. When a child dies they mourn, even though everybody else in the community joins in, the hit is more direct to them than any other party.

So the question is, where were the parents when Anne was taking a break from home and from school? They should have investigated, sat her down and probably Anne would still be breathing today.

Every party involved deserves to know about this death and everybody should blame themselves for the loss of a member of the society. More emphasis should be put on the psychological incidence that led to a young girl not to communicate with parents or friends, but rather chose to end the pain and end herself with it.

At the same time, everybody should ask themselves, what if there is another Anne out there who has not yet committed suicide but is going through the same problems.

Its important to evaluate the community in both individual and community needs and the best method I would use is first of all identifying the community and individual objectives.

Mainly students objectives would be to pass exams and gain knowledge, the parents’ objectives would be to make their sons and daughters responsible members of the society, and they would aim at making their kids better than themselves. Teachers, on the other hand, would work at improving the discipline and knowledge as well as understanding to the students.

Best people to assist me in this would include youths and the students, because this is the generation that highly suffers from chronic suicide. However, in order to achieve stable results, sampling would be done using proper criterion so that everybody is properly and completely represented.

People carrying out the research would have to be trained on the following areas: how to handle the respondents, they must be aware that not everybody responds positively, they have to be patient with the respondents and must not be involved in directing the respondent’s answers to various topics.

Of course, this will go hand in hand with the selection of the people to carry out the research. People involved in community should not be part of the group. Furthermore, the group carrying out interviews must learn the art of reading minds as mostly in interviews people do not always respond truthfully, they sometimes exaggerate. They must be also trained on whom to pass the questionnaires to.

When it comes to public meetings administrators will have to be involved so that they may make the community aware of the seriousness of the meeting and the need for such a gathering all in the name of eradicating social evils.

A traumatized society presents a million challenges, “while for the victim pain and suffering end with death, for the loved ones left behind they are just beginning. These surviving family, friend, and co-workers can be referred as “co-victims” (Herman 1999) When a child commits suicide the society comes up with all sorts of blame. The blame game is directed on all members of the society.

According to Herman (1999), “in our society, it is common for the sorrow that follows death to be hidden behind the closed doors of the family unit or as memories within a person’s mind”. The community members point fingers to each other. Among the most prevalent problems are denial, lack of response, financial challenges and hopelessness.

Denial is a situation of not taking responsibility and not accepting the present problem; for instance it would take time for teachers to feel that they played a role in making a young girl go to an extent of committing the worst crime anybody can do.

According to them, she was responsible for her own life, but was she? Being a minor she was under the society’s care. Even when public meetings are held and such sentiments are presented they would still meet a very strong resistance.

A traumatized society tends to live in the past. The members just focus on better times that had been there before the current events occurred, for instance, when Nagasaki in Japan was bombed, the people were not quick to going back to their duties.

We get a situation where elders of the society talk of a time when no child would think of committing suicide. “Avoiding the traumatic memories leads to stagnation in the recovery process, while approaching them too precipitately leads to a fruitless and damaging reliving of the trauma” (Heman, 1999).

When the teens hear of such talks, they feel like they are the ones to be blamed for all current society evils, it thus becomes so hard to convince the people to forget the past and think of a better tomorrow.

It should also be noted that people under trauma mostly don’t respond and when they do, negative responses are more prevalent. There are cases where people have tore questionnaires and other cases a public meeting has been held only to have the hosts attend.

But the biggest challenge is to bring about the idea that there is hope, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. People are not ready to believe in this when a young girl commits suicide. “In such a situation, the therapist plays a role of a witness and ally, in whose presence the survivor can speak of the unspeakable” (Herman 1999).

People’s age, culture and religion are significant factors in dealing with healing of a society. The fact that Anne committed suicide should not be blamed on her age, religion or social status; the point is that something went wrong, the members of the society did not do their work, and Anne was also to be blamed as she did not open up.

Anne’s family should understand that it was not their fault that their daughter or sibling decided to commit the suicide. They should rather focus on a future and hope no other is forced by circumstances to make the same choice as Anne. “The therapist plays a role of a witness and ally, in whose presence the survivor can speak of the unspeakable” (Herman 1999).

Memorials in the school should be held every year to remember what happened to Anne. Anne was good in class she had people who loved her and team mates who cared for her, her life is worth remembering. Suicide should not be judged on her.

The main long-term goal for all this is to prevent the occurrence of teenage suicide and more so to make the society aware of its youths’ problems because at the end of it, we are all affected. What is more important at the time just after the suicide committed is to help other students, teachers and parent to “get over it”.

In this case, “goal-setting should be concrete and reassuring method of stress reduction during a chaotic aftermath of a sudden death” (Clements, DeRanieri, Vigil & Benasutti 2004). The therapist should guide the clients along the way of “adaptive coping”.

It is important to know that this early stage is the most painful and the therapist should be very careful and attentive to each client.

What is important for the therapist it to make sure that none of the survivors is left behind and feels lonely. The therapist should provide support at any type. As the therapy continues, the therapist should encourage survivors to share their needs and accept help form other supporters.

Reference List

Clement, PT, DeRanieri, JT, Vigil, GJ, Benasutti, M, 2004, ‘Life after Death: Grief Therapy after the Suddden Traumatic Death of a Family Member’, Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Vol. 40, No. 4. pp. 149-154.

Herman, T, 1999, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Basic Books, London.

Wastell, C., 2005, ‘Understanding Trauma and Emotion’ in The Trauma Therapist and Their Emotions, Allen and Unwind, Sydney.

Introduction

Suicide basically refers to a situation where an individual takes his/her life willingly. This is the last stage after a long period of depression and the victim have not managed to get assistance in order to deal with the environmental stressors. A person contemplates suicide once his/ her mind has been stressed up to a point whereby it cannot bounce back. Suicide cases are very common in a society which is experiencing a social disorganization which touches all the other parts that makes up the complex whole. For instance after 9/11 attack in US many people committed suicide after losing their dear ones in the attack. In such an event people are faced with very catastrophic realities and they are disturbed thereby bringing in a psychological crisis in the society which needs to be dealt with before people start to contemplate suicide.

This essay looks at the various myths that are related to suicide from a critical point of view as well as crisis intervention procedures that needs to be followed when treating a disturbed person and specifically a battered wife. Events that took place on 9/11 attack and their aftermaths will also be discussed in relation to crisis intervention as well as those steps that can be taken in order to make schools safe from local gangs. These topics will be handled under various sub headings one at a time.

Discussion Myths about Suicide

As I had indicated earlier on suicide means the act of killing one self and this act is intentional. Suicide is attributed to various social factors and it is increasingly becoming a problem in the contemporary world. In order to understand and prevent suicide we have to understand a number of myths that are associated with suicide and it is important to note that these myths prevent us from dealing with an individual before he carries out a suicidal act. In addition myths are common misconceptions that are related to suicide. Once we know the actual truth about suicide then we can easily identify people who are at a risk of committing suicide and to provide necessary assistance that is needed.

To begin with many people believe that attempted or completed suicides occur without warning. This is a wrong conclusion because many survivors have stated that they had hidden intention that made them contemplate suicide. Moreover warning signs are always present and may include: previous suicidal attempts, shift in sleeping patterns, depression among others. Another myth states that if an individual suicidal attempt fails, the individual will never make a repetition of the same. This is not true because soon or later the person will carry out a successful suicide. People also believe that suicidal individuals do not communicate their thoughts to other people. These are some of the myths about suicide but there are many others.

When dealing with a family of a suicidal family one is supposed to explain all these myths to them in order to give them a broad knowledge on suicide. For instance, it is important to point out that a suicidal person always shares his thought with people who are very close to him. Therefore the family should be aware of the close friends of the person so that they can know what kind of topics they discuss during their outings. This idea should be emphasized until it sink’s into the mind of the family members since they are the one who will be in close contact with the suicidal person.

Treating Battered Woman

Woman battering is a very common form of domestic violence that affects a woman life greatly. Battered women often are very depressed since they cannot easily get out of an abusive marriage. This occurs mostly in a patriarchal society where men are very powerful. Some of the common stressors among battered women include: presence of their children when actual violence takes place, husband drinking behavior, as well as other people who may be the cause of the violence that takes place. A part from being depressed a battered woman is very emotional and has a very unusual sleeping pattern especially when the husband is away. The rave at their children and loose weight very first which can be closely related to their loss of appetite.

While dealing with such a woman it is always wise to sit down with her and let her talk out her experience. In a very quite place I would explain to her the fact that once she was battered there are very high chances of being battered again. Since this explanation may boil up the woman emotions I have to be fully prepared in order to calm her down easily as well as being very kin on non-verbal communication in order to use the most effective means to get the point across. Once the woman is aware of this fact she should then face the monster head on and decide on the next step she should take. The most appropriate action is to stay away from this kind of an environment.

Making the School a Safer Place

A school like any other institution is made up of different individuals who possess different attitudes and values. This diversity can be exploited by students in order to create disunity in school. Teachers and student therefore should be well equipped in order to deal with local gangs which are made up of very few students but they can easily disrupt a school program. Such students like walking in a group which does not join up with others easily especially during breaks in schools. The group is the last one to get back to a class after a short break and is the same group which performs poorly in the exams.

In order to prepare for such crisis the teachers and junior staff have to be well trained. The teachers and the subordinated staff can learn basic skills of handling violent students in a staff meeting. In such a meeting the main aim would be to highlight the common behaviors of the student who make up a local gung in order for the staff to keep an eye on them. This training can take place during a student break in order to make sure all the teachers are available. The students identified have to be taken through an anti violence and anti gang program running for a good number of months (Wendy, 1996). These two programs will enable the student to learn how to appreciate diversity, manage their anger as well as getting involved in mediation and conflict resolutions. These measures should also enhance self esteem among students.

9/11 Crisis

9/11 is one of the blackest days in US history because this is the day when terrorist managed to hit targets inside the US. Many people were traumatized by the events they witnessed on the television and the impact of this terrorist attack is being felt even today. Schmindt et al (2002) points out that ‘terrorist did more than destroy buildings: they scarred the American psyche.’ Therefore Americans have become more fearful and anxiety builds in them very fast raising serious psychological problems. Psychologists have now been compelled to carry out various researches that will aid in developing a good remedy for the general anxiety disorder that is killing many Americans. Over emphasis of fear related disorders is creating a room for neglecting other people who may have different psychological problem and this is not good for the health of the Americans.

Conclusion

In conclusion it is evident that suicide is carried out by people who intentionally want to terminate their life. Majority of us are not in a position to prevent our friends and neighbors from committing suicide because the myths we have over suicide blurs our thinking capacity and this make it difficult to realize that one of us is on the verge of committing suicide. Women experiencing abuse also fail to take action because of some myths which are grossly wrong. In order to make our schools safe places collaboration between the teaching staff, junior staff and the student is needed in order to facilitate the effectiveness of both the anti violence and anti gang programs in school. Finally the American psyche was torn in to parts by the 9/11 attack and psychologist have to deal will all sorts of psychological related problems in the country.

References

1. James, R. K. and Gililand, B. (2007): Crisis Intervention Strategies.6^th ed. Thomson Wadswoth publishers.
2. Roberts, A. R. and Roberts B. S. (2005): Ending Intimate Abuse: Practical Guidance and Survival strategies. London, Oxford University Press.
3. Schmidt, B and Winters J. (2002): Anxiety after 9/11. Psychology Magazine, 2002
4. Wendy, S. (1996): An overview of strategies to reduce school violence. Web.
5. Preventing Adolescence Suicide.

Introduction

Emile Durkheim was a prominent French sociologist of the 19^th and early 20^th century. He conducted a research about suicide in with aim of formally establishing Sociology as one of the social sciences (Simpson, 2002). Together with other like-minded individuals including Max Weber and Karl Max, they are acknowledged as pioneers of Sociology as a discipline in modern social science.

Durkheim published several works touching on how the society could be ordered in the modern age by living in harmony and upholding integrity (Durkheim & Buss, 2006). Most sociologists of his time were concerned with understanding the changing society where the social and religious practices of the past were being eroded by modernization.

Although Durkheim conducted several studies and wrote on many topics in the field of sociology, this essay will discuss his views about suicide. It will explain the differences between anomic, altruistic and egoistic, as well as fatalistic suicide.

View about Suicide

In 1897, Durkheim published the findings of his study in the Suicide which is still a favorite reference for modern day sociologists. He was known as a fierce critique of the approaches use by sociologists. According to him, sociologists should use sociological data that examines the rates of given behavior instead of psychological data (Simpson, 2002).

Determined to establish sociology as a social science, he used various data which had been collected for administrative purposes to scientifically analyze the suicide rates among Protestants and Catholics. The decision to use the already existing data to analyze rates of behavior was aimed at established the concept of social fact; that all social phenomena exist in and of themselves and are not determined by activities of individuals (Simpson, 2002).

Durkheim argued that religion plays a significant role in the community and influenced the behavior of the members of a given society. He posed a number of questions concerning suicide: Why do commit suicide? What goes wrong? Why are the rates varying across places? He said that understanding suicide is the key to understanding how individuals relate to society.

He concluded from the findings of his study that there were lower rates of suicide among the Catholics due to the firm grip and control this religion had on the community. He argued that people have a tendency of wanting to belong to a given group, a term the he refers to as social integration (Durkheim & Buss, 2006).

Furthermore, Durkheim pointed out that excessively high or low levels of association among members of the society were responsible for increased suicide rates. The explanation for this claim is that low levels of attachment in groups cause disorderliness in the society and in turn the chaotic state pushes individuals to commit suicide as an escape option.

According to Durkheim, a high sense of attachment in the society gives people a notion of being a burden on others and hence develop high suicidal tendencies to avoid being too much of a burden to the society (Simpson, 2002). In explaining the differing rates of suicide, he noted that normal levels of association are to be found among the Catholics while the Protestants have quite low levels social integration.

After investigating the differing rates of suicide in the society, Durkheim coined a definition of suicide as including all cases of death occurring either directly or indirectly as a result of a desirable or undesirable act of the victim himself, which he is aware that it will produce this particular result (Simpson, 2002).

In his study of suicide rates, he considered religious affiliations, economic status, marital status, as well as civilian or military status as independent variables. This means that he believed these variables explained the varying suicide rates (Lukes, 2001). In his thinking, Durkheim was convinced that being either Catholic or Protestant determine the probability of committing suicide.

The same hypotheses were made in the case of other variables. That suicide rates depends on whether one is single or married, either a soldier or a civilian, and whether one is poor or financially stable.

Anomic, Altruistic, Egoistic, and Fatalistic Suicide

As already mention, when Durkheim analyzed the secondary data, he found that suicide rates were higher among Protestants compared to Catholics and Jews (Pickering & Walford, 2000).

Catholics, on the other hand, were more likely to commit suicide than Jews. It also emerged that single people were likely to commit suicide than married people especially those with children. Soldiers, especially officers recorded higher rates of suicide than ordinary citizens. Suicide rates were found to increase in times economic difficulties and booms and decreased during periods of financial stability.

The above findings were established by Durkheim after brilliant analysis of the collected data. It was after further analysis that he identified four outstanding suicide patterns among people. The four different patterns include anomic, altruistic, egoistic, and fatalistic suicide. According to Durkheim, egoistic suicide is pattern of suicide that is usually committed by individuals who are not closely associated with an established group known to support its members in times of need (Pickering & Walford, 2000).

Being outsiders, they are forced to rely on their own motivation with no group goals or guiding principles in the course of their lives. These people have been known to develop a strong feeling of isolation and neglect especially during stressful moments or situations.

Altruistic suicide, on the other hand, is a form of suicide that is common people who are strict adherents of group norms and set objectives (Emirbayer, 2003). They have lower regard for their own lives and would commit suicide for the sake of a group cause. The third pattern of suicide, anomic suicide, has been found to be common among people living in a society faced by crisis and dramatic changes (Lukes, 2001).

These occasions are associated with breakdown or weakening of traditional societal norms resulting in a state of normlessness. Individuals may see life as meaningless and hence commit suicide. Contrary to anomic suicide is the fourth pattern known as fatalistic suicide pattern. It occurs in situations where people are subjected to oppressive experiences characterized by stringent rules for maintaining a certain order in the society.

This pattern was common during dictatorial regimes and slavery. In conclusion, Durkheim contributed a significant sociological perspective of understanding how societal forces influence suicide rates (Lukes, 2001). His suicide theory complements the psychological perspective of understanding suicide.

References

Durkheim, E., & Buss, R. (2006). On suicide. New York, NY: Penguin

Emirbayer, M. (2003). Emile Durkheim: sociologist of modernity. New Jersey, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell

Lukes, S. (2001). Emile Durkheim, his life and work: a historical and critical study. California, CA: Stanford University Press

Pickering, W. F., & Walford, G. (2000). Durkheim’s suicide: a century of research and debate. New York, NY: Routledge

Simpson, G. (2002). Suicide: a study in sociology (5^th ed). New York, NY: Routledge

Among many public health problems, suicide is a major cause of death in the United States. It is important to understand the underlying implications of the issue since its scale shows no sign of improvement. Suicide is widespread in the American population, which means that it has no single connection to one’s socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, age, or gender. However, there are certain trends and tendencies in the occurrence rate which require an in-depth analysis. Suicide is more likely to impact males, the elderly, Native Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, and rural communities due to the unavailability of suicide prevention support, socioeconomic conditions, and sociocultural reasons.

Comparison of Suicide Completion

Compare suicide completion rates as a function of age, sex, and race.

It is important to note that when assessing suicide, there is a distinction between suicide attempts and suicide completion. The given comparative analysis will focus on completed suicides and subsequent deaths as a prime interest. In the case of suicide growth, the rate of occurrence indiscriminately increased across all categorization groups. It is stated that “suicide rates increased across the three urbanization levels, with higher rates in nonmetropolitan/rural counties than in medium/small or large metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, rural or non-urban regions were the most vulnerable to suicide. Therefore, the function of the locational factor plays a critical role in the correlational nature of the problem.

When it comes to the gender categorization framework, it should be noted that males are at a higher risk of death than females. It is reported that “across urbanization levels, suicide rates were consistently highest for men and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives compared with rates for women and other racial/ethnic groups” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Thus, despite women being at a higher rate of attempting suicide, the completion is more likely to occur among men (Nystedt et al., 2019). In addition, it is evident that Native Americans can be considered a high-risk ethnic group compared to other ones. The given trend is common across the entirety of the United States.

Moreover, it should be noted that metropolitan areas have a different highly vulnerable group to suicide completion. It is stated that “rates were highest for non-Hispanic whites in more metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, White Americans were the most likely victims of suicide in large cities and urbanized centers. In the case of African Americans, it is reported that “suicide rates for non-Hispanic blacks were lowest in nonmetropolitan/rural counties and highest in more urban counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Therefore, the members of the Black community in big cities were under a greater threat of suicide compared to African Americans in rural regions.

The age-related demographic factors also play a critical correlational role in putting an American at the risk of suicide completion. The report suggests that “increases in suicide rates occurred for all age groups across urbanization levels, with the highest rates for persons aged 35–64 years” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In other words, as a person gets older and enters his or her middle-age to the elderly-age range, he or she is in more serious danger of committing suicide and dying as a result.

Mechanism of Death

Suicide can be conducted and performed by using a wide range of different means. One might decide to jump under a vehicle, jump from the top of a high building, opt for suffocation by drowning or hanging, and use a gun alongside many other methods. However, it is stated that “greater increases in rates of suicide by firearms and hanging/suffocation occurred across all urbanization levels” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). In addition, “rates of suicide by firearms in nonmetropolitan/rural counties were almost two times that of rates in larger metropolitan counties” (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017, p. 1). Thus, firearms are the most common method of suicide completion, which is followed by suffocative hanging. It is likely to be connected to the higher degree of availability of guns across the United States compared to other nations.

Developing a Hypothesis and Rationale

The proposed hypothesis for the observed suicide completion patterns is rooted in a combination of several factors. These might include the differential availability of suicide prevention support, socioeconomic conditions, and sociocultural pressures. For example, poorer regions tend to be rural ones with less employment and economic opportunities. In addition, such locations are more likely to have worse suicide prevention access to discourage suicide. Therefore, people in rural regions might experience more financial stress, fewer methods of responding to them, and fewer ways of acquiring the necessary help. Another factor involves socioeconomic conditions, which might also explain why Native Americans and rural inhabitants are at a greater risk of suicide completion (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2017). In other words, poverty can be a significant contributor to pushing specific groups to attempt and complete suicide.

When it comes to sociocultural pressures, the latter factor might explain why non-Hispanic whites are the high-risk category in big cities. Since Native Americans’ suicide rate is comparable to White people, the data is mainly skewed due to the extremely high rate of completion among Natives in small metropolitan regions. Considering the fact that Native Americans tend to live in either reservation and specific states, such as “Alaska, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and South Dakota,” the two groups are comparable (Rezal, 2021). Thus, non-Hispanic whites are at risk due to sociocultural factors, where suicidal ideations might not be openly discussed and addressed. In addition, men also might be under a higher degree of cultural pressure to be more isolated and less likely to seek help. Toxic masculinity might be another extension of the sociocultural factor, where men are pressured to be emotionally unexpressive and independent, such as not asking for support.

There are many different candidates for detailed elements of influence. These are groups with low salaries, living standards, the percentage of poverty among the population, and the percentage of the unemployed. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the lack of cohesion within the group, the pricing policy in the regions and its difference from neighboring ones, and the shares of the middle-income and low-income classes with their annual income levels. The bulk of the population needs to be observed through vulnerable groups, whose standard of living can be an objective indicator of the quality of life of the people in the analysis (Coon et al., 2018). The socioeconomic factor plays an important role in the harmonious development of the individual. It provides one with all conditions in his mental, physical, moral, spiritual, aesthetic, and cultural development.

Suicide attempts and suicide can have long-term consequences for individuals, their social networks, and communities. There are many reasons for suicide, and it is important to understand the psychological processes that underlie suicidal thoughts and the factors that can lead to feelings of hopelessness or despair. Suicide behavior is complex, and there is no single explanation for why people die by suicide (Coon et al., 2018). Social, psychological, and cultural factors can interact with each other to lead a person to suicidal thoughts or behavior. For many people, the attempt may come after a long period of suicidal thoughts or feelings, while in other cases, it may be more impulsive. Alcohol and alcoholism may also provide fertile ground for the seeds of suicide due to the combination of depressive experiences and the inhibitory effect of alcohol, which facilitates suicidal actions. In this regard, the most effective preventive measure for patients who have not yet come to the attention of suicide prevention experts is the reduction of alcohol consumption in the population and the treatment of alcoholism as the underlying disease.

Conclusion

In conclusion, suicide is more likely to impact men, older generations, Native Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, and rural communities due to socioeconomic conditions, sociocultural reasons, and the unavailability of suicide prevention support. Socioeconomic conditions explain how poverty and lack of opportunity impact Native Americans, the elderly, and rural populations. Sociocultural reasons might be responsible for high suicide among men and non-Hispanic whites. Lastly, the inaccessibility of suicide prevention support is a likely reason for a significant risk among rural regions and men as well. Thus, it should be stated that there are a large number of reasons and factors contributing to the commission of suicide. In order to combat suicidal behavior in society, it is necessary to act primarily on the identified determinants of suicide.

References

Coon, D, Mitterer, J. O., & Martini, T. S. (2018). Introduction to psychology: Gateways to mind and behavior (15^th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Ivey-Stephenson, A. Z., Crosby, A. E., Jack, S. P., Haileyesus, T., & Kresnow-Sedacca, M. (2017). Suicide trends among and within urbanization levels by sex, race/ethnicity, age group, and mechanism of death — United States, 2001–2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1–16.

Nystedt, T., Rosvall, M., & Lindström, M. (2019). Sexual orientation, suicide ideation and suicide attempt: A population-based study. Psychiatry Research, 275, 359-365.

Rezal, A. (2021). Where most Native Americans live.U.S. News.

Children and teenagers, in particular, are some of the most vulnerable groups of society. The pressure that the outside world puts on teenagers through public pressure, bullying, domestic violence, exposure to substances, and mental health problems results in high numbers of suicides among youth. The problem is equally relevant across the world but is not covered enough in the media. With the development of the modern Information Society, teenage suicides present a more significant threat than before. This research paper focused on the issue of teenage suicides will include information on the current situation and analysis of valuable statistics connected to the topic. Then, the paper will provide an explanation of common reasons behind suicides among teenagers and information on current teenage suicide prevention methods and programs.

The Importance of the Issue

The modern Information Society significantly simplified the nation’s life by introducing widespread communication technologies that allow development and growth in all areas, from economy and education to politics and healthcare. Information society offers the ability to acquire information, create content, share it with others, and instantly connect with people in ways that did not exist just a decade ago. However, the digital age also carried several drawbacks with increased control over people, intrusive social media involvement in everyday life, and unavoidable negativity in the online space.

Attachment to mobile devices, mainly online-based social interactions, and exposure to outside pressure are what makes current teenagers different from teenagers a decade or two ago. While the long-term consequences of growing up in the digital age are not fully explored yet, according to reports, the specialists already connect increased social media use with anxiety and depression (Britska et al., 2021). The tendency of depression and anxiety presents a severe threat to cases of teenage suicide, which is why current teenagers and the environment in which they are growing up are different from previous generations.

All serious problems and issues in society require thorough research, coverage in the media, and governmental support to increase the population’s awareness of the matter. In the case of teenage suicides, the issue extends to providing rehabilitation and mental support to suicide attempters. Although suicide attempters constitute a separate group, cases of self-injury also provide valuable information in terms of reasoning and factors influencing the suicide outcomes, such as demographic, medication, and socioeconomic factors.

According to Wasserman et al. (2021), current programs for teenage suicide prevention are primarily centered on school activities that raise awareness through providing information about mental health and suicides and protective skill training. However, the awareness of adult groups is not covered by the programs; thus, most of the population, including current and future parents, stays uninformed about the severity of the problem with teenage suicides. Moreover, depiction and coverage of teenage suicide are prohibited in mass media except for the news reports to avoid children’s exposure to suicide. As a result, teenagers become separated from their parents’ support and often find themselves unable to talk with anyone about their issues.

Statistics Data and Valuable Information on Reasons Behind Teenage Suicides

One of the most comprehensible methods to showcase and emphasize the importance of the issue is drawing the statistics of teenage suicide rates and other valuable data related to the problem. According to the National Vital Statistics report (2020), between 2016 to 2018, the average increase in suicide death rates among persons aged from 10 to 24 years compared to 2007 to 2009 is 47.1 percent. In a number of states, including New Hampshire, Oregon, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan, Washington, Massachusetts, and Kansas, the increase was more than 60 percent. The highest rate of suicides among persons aged 10-24 was in Alaska, with almost thirty-one deaths per one hundred thousand people.

While in years close to the 2000s, the suicide rates stabilized and remained close to the same level, recent data shows a drastic increase compared to the beginning of the century. Additional statistics report that from 2009 to 2017 rate of depression among teenagers aged 14 to 17 increased by more than 60 percent (Twenge et al., 2019). The numbers and increased rates help to emphasize the problem and form substantial evidence for the need to resolve the issue.

The global statistics on adolescent mental health are not much different from the statistics data in the U.S. According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health problems compose 16% of global diseases and injuries among people aged 10 to 19 years, and the main reason is depression (WHO, 2020). As teenagers regularly experience significant amounts of stress due to pressure from peers and desire for autonomy, exposure to additional stress factors like bullying, violence, and media influence affects their mental health (WHO, 2020). According to the WHO (2020), inappropriate living conditions, limitation of opportunities, and absence or low access to support and services are equally important. Thus, in developing countries, adolescents face even more risks that could lead them to suicidal thoughts.

The addition of data from teenage suicide attempts provides valuable insight into the overall state of mental health among teenagers and factors that affect teenagers’ suicide outcomes. In an article on risk factors in suicide attempts among teenagers, Zygo et al. (2019) pointed that the group with the most tendencies for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts are 17-18 years old. The majority of teenagers who attempted suicide live in urban areas, and the leading motive is the feeling of helplessness, followed by the feeling of loneliness (Zygo et al., 2019). According to the research, teenagers raised in incomplete families are more prone to committing suicide attempts. Moreover, alcohol abuse by one parent or grandparents, domestic violence, and sexual abuse also significantly affected the number of suicide thoughts and attempts.

There are several factors that could influence suicide attempts, but specialists distinguish separate reasons for suicide outcomes. In his article Heid (2019) pointed, that specialists who work with teenagers, such as teachers and guidance counselors, suggest heavy technology use and poor mental health caused an increased number of teenage suicide cases. Other specialists explain the increase with the absence of substantial records and research on teenagers’ suicides in the past (Heid, 2019). Still, specialists agree that the issue highlights ongoing problems with mental health in modern society.

While some suicide attempts and thoughts are not included in statistics, there is no specific information about what factors could predict suicide among teenagers. However, current technologies could be used to collect every valuable piece of information and structure it to provide insight into the problem. In a research article by Walsh et al. (2018), the authors attempted to collect and analyze factors that predict suicide attempts in adolescents through machine learning. The results present 20 factors that could be utilized as predictors for suicide attempts. In a rank of decreasing importance, the authors list body mass index, age, use of different types of medications, depressions and mood disorders, self-inflicting poisoning, psychosis, posttraumatic disorder, and hyperactivity (Walsh et al., 2018). The information could be used in combination with previously mentioned factors and add depth to the research of possible reasons for teenage suicide.

Teenage Suicide Reasons and Prevention

Compiling and analyzing the results of previous researches with statistics shows that there are two prominent components of the reasoning behind teenage suicides. First, the current situation with mental disorders among teenagers is worsened by heavy technology use that creates unfavorable conditions for interactions with peers and media influence that affects their self-esteem. As in an article by Walsh et al. (2018), body mass index was one of the leading factors for suicide attempts, it connects with the negative influence imposed by media on the teenagers’ self-image. As depression is reported to be one of the most common mental health problems among adolescents, it could be that heavy technology use adds too much weight on teenagers’ mental health.

While growing up, teenagers face several challenges that could influence their mental health, such as complications in communication with peers, gaining self-awareness, and exploration of sexual identity. Unrealistic expectations forced by media influence and the process of constantly comparing themselves to other teenagers through social media become unbearable for mental health focused on other challenges.

The second prominent component of teenage suicides is the variety of environmental conditions that could not be changed or altered. In their work, Zygo et al. (2019) emphasized that teenagers who attempted suicide were mostly driven by the feeling of helplessness. The statement above leads to the suggestion that despite mental health problems and depression are the most known reasons behind teenage suicides, the cause of suicide thoughts and attempts is in teenagers’ external environment.

Studies show that among teenage girls, the ones who reported alcohol abuse by parents or siblings were most likely to attempt suicide, and most teenagers who attempted suicide were from incomplete families. It could be that parents’ influence on cases of suicide is significantly bigger in reality, but due to prevention measures, the statistics for reasons of actual suicide outcomes are different. Thus, it is suggested that overall malfunctions in relationships with parents, parents’ alcohol and substance abuse, domestic violence, and inappropriate living conditions compose the second prominent reason behind teenage suicides.

The situation with an increased number of cases of teenage suicides could be improved with prevention programs and policies. As was already mentioned earlier, most prevention programs take place in educational settings and focus on teenagers and education personnel. According to Robinson et al. (2018), in general, around 70% of school-based prevention programs involving assessment of risk and protective factors and group interventions show a positive effect on suicidal thoughts and attempts among teenagers.

In addressing the family aspect of the issue, another effective prevention program recommended by King et al. (2018), the Family Check-Up, involves family participation and targets parenting skills and healthy functioning of families. As research indicated the significant influence of family in teenage suicides, future prevention programs should feature more parents’ involvement to establish healthy family connections and the possibility of dialogue.

In conclusion, this paper discussed teenage suicide and valuable aspects of the problem, like the population’s awareness of the issue and coverage in media. Compiling statistical data on teenage suicide and suicide attempts showed that the mental health problem of the current generation of teenagers is worsened by the heavy involvement of technology in teenagers’ lives. Further research and analysis indicated that a vital part of the reasoning behind teenage suicides is sourced in family and teenagers’ living conditions. As current prevention programs predominantly take place in an education setting, the issue requires active involvement from the parents’ side and raising awareness among adults.

References

Britska, S., Dix, R., Rafi, T., Sahota, G., & Krus-Johnston, A. (2021). Is increased social media use associated with depression in teenagers?Evidence-Based Practice, 1. Web.

Heid, M. (2019). Depression and suicide rates are rising sharply in young Americans, new report says. This may be one reason why. Time. Web.

King, C. A., Arango, A., & Ewell Foster, C. (2018). Emerging trends in adolescent suicide prevention research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 22, 89–94. Web.

National Center for Health Statistics. (2020). State suicide rates among adolescents and young adults aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2018. Web.

Robinson, J., Calear, A. L., & Bailey, E. (2018). Suicide prevention in educational settings: A review. Australasian Psychiatry, 26(2), 132–140. Web.

Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 185–199. Web.

Walsh, C.G., Ribeiro, J.D. and Franklin, J.C. (2018). Predicting suicide attempts in adolescents with longitudinal clinical data and machine learning. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(12), 1261-1270. Web.

Wasserman, D., Carli, V., Iosue, M., Javed, A., & Herrman, H. (2021). Suicide prevention in childhood and adolescence: A narrative review of current knowledge on risk and protective factors and effectiveness of interventions. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 13(3), 1-17. Web.

WHO. (2020). Adolescent mental health. Web.

Zygo, M., Pawłowska, B., Potembska, E., Dreher, P., Kapka-Skrzypczak, L. (2019). Prevalence and selected risk factors of suicidal ideation, suicidal tendencies and suicide attempts in young people aged 13–19 years. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 26(2), 329-336. Web.

Introduction

This assignment will provide an introductory-level analysis of the peer-reviewed evidence-based academic article in healthcare. The chosen article refers to the topic of adolescent suicide and its intersection with teenage age, sex, and other possible triggers such as mental health issues and stress factors. The paper will disclose the purpose of the study, its research methods, key findings, limitations of the study, and major conclusions.

Purpose of the Study

The retrospective study based on the completed suicide cases in Australia among 10-19-year-old teenagers aimes to compare psychological and demographic characteristics of the cases between adolescents of younger and older age, males, and females. The purpose of the study is to investigate, based on existing data from Australian literature, the interconnections between not only age but also sex in adolescent suicide (Lee et al., 2019). The research question is to investigate if completed suicide in younger and older teenagers, males, and females, is diverse in reasons and background, or it has no connection with demographic and psychological characteristics. The study hypothesizes that there are dissimilarities in the features of completed suicide between various teenage ages and sex.

Research Methods

The analyzed study is quantitative, and it uses secondary data to realize a retrospective assessment of the suicide cases in Australia. The design method is observational as it does not interfere with gathered data but reviews it post factum. The retrospective is proven by assessment of previously completed cases of suicide. As for methods for data collection, the researchers analyzed suicide deaths reported to the Coroners Court of Victoria (CCOV) over ten years: from January 1, 2006, until December 31, 2015, with the age of the deceased between 10 and 19 years. This method of data gathering is relevant to the research question as it provides official data on completed suicide cases among teenagers in Australia. CCOV cases disclose the orientation of the deceased, history of any previously diagnosed mental disorders, suicide attempts, their occupation, information about the suicide method, and additional stressors that could have triggered the decision of suicide.

The gathered information is quantitative as it can be measured in numerical values regarding the number of cases committed by females, by males; the number of deceased with diagnosed mental health illnesses, and without. The method used in the study has its weaknesses as it is based on secondary data which can be questioned in its quality and reliability. Even though CCOV is an official resource and a detailed database, some information in cases has to rely on the report of family members and close friends. The latter cannot exclude the impact of emotional factors, and posttraumatic stress on their estimation of the situation.

Information analysis was using descriptive and inferential statistic methods with the help of Stata software. Data were summarized in frequency tables having information about deceased individuals and percentages. Differences in proportions between the groups were compared with the use of chi-square for equal proportions or Fisher’s exact tests (if numbers were small). The confidence interval was taken at 95%, and p-values < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. Using chi-square is a reliable and one of the most popular inferential statistics methods and is appropriate for probability calculations. In the current study, the probability of demographic and psychological factors is observed among young and older-aged adolescents, males, and females. A potential weakness of the data analysis method is the absence of the community control group. If the results of the investigation are significantly different from the survivor population, the findings cannot be relied on, and they are not applicable.

The key demographics of the population sampled are the age between 10 and 19. The cases were divided into younger adolescents age (10-16) and older ages (17-19 years old). The inclusion criteria were the completed suicide reported to CCOV demonstrating the prevalence of possible suicide associations and risk factors in the community. The exclusion criteria, consequently, were the cases with deceased of other ages, and cases with the unclear prevalence of possible suicide associations and risk factors in society.

Key Findings

The results of the study state that, during the estimated period, suicide deaths were dichotomized at the ages 13-16 and 17-19. Out of 273 cases, 102 (37%) suicide deaths were in the younger group and 171 (63%) in the older group. Male cases were 184 (67%) and female 89 (33%); suicide counts by age and suicide rates were presented in the figures. Investigating psychological and risk factors, the authors identified that 40% of cases had a diagnosed mental health disorder not significantly depending on age or sex. 57% of the individuals with diagnosed mental health illness have had at least one previous suicide attempt compared to those without any history of mental disorders (22%). 87% of deceased had experienced at least one major stress factor before death. The researchers provide the p-value nearby all the statements, and all the values lower 0.05 rate was valued as statistically significant. However, the study does not provide a comparative analysis of the two groups, and it is impossible to estimate the results of the study with a control group.

Limitations of the Study

Apart from mentioned above limitations, the population of the study is also a source of some obstacles. For instance, the stressors that most possibly impacted the death of teenagers were taken into consideration within the last 6 months before suicide. However, some factors could have impacted the individual longer or played a less significant role in suicide decision-making. The true reasons and the role of stress factors can only be approximately guessed and assumed; however, never known for sure. Sample size (n=273) may be another limitation to the research as, within 10 years, the reasons for suicide and major mental health pathologies could have changed, been variously diagnosed, and been treated. The number of cases can be statistically significant; nevertheless, it is hard to estimate the differences in mental health diagnostics and the shifts in pharmacological approaches to teenage psychological and psychiatric disorders.

Inferential statistics, used as the type of statistical analysis in this article, allows to estimate descriptive data and helps get explanations and suggest solutions for the studied issue. On the other side, inferential statistics is not accurate as it refers to sampling data that was not fully measured by a researcher. A retrospective observational study has its limitations as well, and, majorly, it is the accuracy of the data gathered in the past. The researcher cannot control the information synthesized from the past, he can only rely on the previous individuals’ work.

Major Conclusions from the Study

Compared to the results from the study by Kõlves and de Leo (2017), the analyzed study has a smaller sample size and studies demographic and psychological factors impacting adolescent suicide. Kõlves and de Leo (2017) used cluster analysis to investigate the suicide methods. The study significantly contributes to the scientific literature as it provides the dichotomy of the age and sex specialties in adolescent suicide. The latter can help, together with other factors investigation, preventive strategies for teenage self-harm and suicide attempts. For instance, considering mental health illness as a risk factor for a suicide attempt, policymakers can develop more strategies to help teenagers with treatment aiming to achieve long remission phases or recovery. Further investigations that are based on this study could study more thoroughly the spectrum of mental health disorders to identify the most significant ones related to suicide attempts and self-harm.

References

Kõlves, K., & de Leo, D. (2017). Suicide methods in children and adolescents.European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(2), 155–164. Web.

Lee, S., Dwyer, J., Paul, E., Clarke, D. Treleaven, S., & Roseby, R. (2019). Difference by age and sex in adolescent suicide.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 43(3), 248-253. Web.