Suicide among Adolescent

Suicide Among Adolescents Statistics

Although there are varying reports with regards to suicide among young people, the general consensus among mental health professionals is that the number of young people within the United States who attempt suicide exceeds a million people annually. The number of young people annually who actually die from a successful suicide attempt is in the thousands. Studies also clearly show that the vast majority of adolescents who commit suicide showed clear-cut signs of their intentions before actually making an attempt.

Although mental illness does play a part in a portion of adolescent suicides, this is not true for every case.

Talk About It

Suicide among adolescents is not a topic that should be avoided. Adults have a responsibility to the adolescents in their lives talk not only about it, but to also watch out for warning signs. Many people are afraid to approach someone with the simple question, “Have you thought about killing yourself?” for fear of implanting an idea that may not have already been present. The truth of the matter, however, is that avoiding the discussion is not a good idea. This is one topic that should be addressed plainly and without apprehension. You simply can’t know if talking about might be just the thing an adolescent needs in order to open up about his or her true feelings, and this is why you mustn’t be apprehensive about bringing up the topic of suicide.

Discussing Suicide

There are opportune times to bring up the subject of suicide with adolescents:

• When someone close to them attempts or commits suicide
• When a celebrity attempts or commits suicide
• When an adolescent talks about suicide in any context
• When stress within the adolescent’s life increases, with or without suicidal warning signs

Suicide is not an easy topic to approach, especially when the initiator of the conversation has no idea how to proceed after the first question has been asked. Here is a general outline to follow:

1. Ask if the adolescent has thought about suicide.
2. If yes, ask if the adolescent has thought about how he or she would commit suicide.
3. If the adolescent has formulated a plan, ask for details.
4. Contact a suicide hotline immediately if you feel there is an actual possibility of a suicide attempt.
5. If the suicide attempt is obviously eminent, call 911 or take the adolescent to the emergency room.

The odds of this situation actually happening are not huge. In fact, your conversation with an adolescent about suicide will probably result in nothing more than the young person revealing that he or she has never had serious thoughts about attempting suicide. The point is to ask as a precaution. You don’t want to wind up in a situation where an adolescent in your life attempts suicide and you never took the time beforehand to broach the subject.

Talk About Warning Signs

In addition to talking to adolescents about their feelings regarding suicide you should also arm them with the knowledge necessary to recognize signs within their circle of friends. Warning signs of potential suicidal thoughts within an adolescent include:

• A dramatic change in behavior
• Sudden introversion and avoidance of social situations
• Depression
• Using alcohol or drugs
• Giving away personal belongings
• Talking about suicide, or referring to not being around much longer

These indicators are not clear-cut signs to suicidal thoughts. Not every teenager who indulges in drugs and alcohol and who is introverted mulls over the possibility of committing suicide. You should pay attention, however, when an adolescent in your life suddenly adopts these behaviors because they can point to something quite dangerous.

Suicide Prevention Hotline

The phone number to the Suicide Prevention Hotline is (800) 273-8255.