Teenage Depression and Suicide

Teenage depression and suicide is a very serious issue and is reaching epidemic proportions.

Isolation may be a sign of depression.

The following information about suicide and teens was published by The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation.

• In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers. In Canada, it is the second leading cause.
• In the years from 1980 to 1996, suicide rates for African-American males between the ages of 15 and 19 increased by 105 percent.
• Males are four times more likely to die by suicide than females are.
• For every person who successfully commits suicide, there are between 30 and 50 attempts.
• Suicide and attempted suicide has increased 300 percent over the past 30 years.
• Nine out of 10 suicides happen when the young person is at home.
• Approximately eight out of 10 people who commit suicide gave some kind of warning indicating they are thinking about it or talk about their feelings to a friend or someone in their family.
• Most people who take their own life do so between the hours of 3 p.m. and midnight.
• In the United States, suicide is more common than homicide.
• Most suicides occur in the spring and the fall.
• Males are more likely to use violent means to commit suicide, such as using a gun.
• Females usually take an overdose of drugs if they are trying to kill themselves.

To put suicide into perspective, consider the following: more teens and young adults died of suicide than these causes of death combined:

• AIDS
• Birth Defects
• Cancer
• Chronic lung disease
• Heart disease
• Influenza
• Pneumonia
• Stroke

It isn't always easy to determine whether a teen is feeling depressed, since adolescence is a time when a young person goes through many changes. Mood swings are quite common during this time, and this may or may not be signs that the young person is depressed.

Parents and teachers should be concerned if a young person who previously enjoyed interacting with others suddenly starts to isolate themselves away from other people. Other signs to watch out for are aggressive behavior and a lack of interest in personal hygiene. The person may indicate that they feel no one understands them or talk about running away from home.

When a teenage male is depressed, he might become more aggressive. Getting into trouble at school or at home are very real possibilities, as is getting arrested.

Teenage girls experience depression differently than boys do. They may start to fixate on death and other morbid ideas. Girls are also much more concerned with their physical appearance than boys are.

Depression can be successfully treated in teens, just as in adults. A doctor can prescribe an antidepressant or arrange for the young person to see a therapist. A combination of medication and "talk therapy" has been successful for treating this condition. The antidepressants help to change the way the young person's brain is functioning, and the therapy helps them to learn new ways to think about themselves and their lives. Over time, they regain their sense of hope for the future and their condition improves.

If you have concerns about a young person you know, then they should be seen by a doctor right away to have their condition evaluated. Don't make the mistake of assuming that if a person is talking about committing suicide that they aren't serious about going through with it. It's a sign that they need help and if they can't be seen by their doctor in a timely manner, then the young person should be taken to the Emergency Room to get help.

Don't let someone you care for become one of the 500,000 young people who try to commit suicide every year.

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