A teen jumps off a bridge, fires a gun, drives off a cliff, sticks their head in the sink with their mouth open and the water on, swallows a pill, punctures their lung with a knife, ties a noose, stands on a box, and jumps.  These scenes all happen on a daily basis to youth in the United States and around the world. Many adolescents are attempting suicide, and there are many ways to help save them.  To fully understand why suicide is such a big problem, one must consider its prominence in statistics, the increase in that self-same prominence, the historical significance of suicide, why people commit suicide, and some, if not all of the warning signs.  Then to understand how it can be stopped or its increase in prominence slowed, one must consider the role of the individual and the group in attempts to stop suicide, and the implications that implementing those forces may have.

Suicide among the world’s youth is amazingly prominent and not in a good way.  “Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and young adults age 5-to-24-year-olds,” claims “Suicide in Children and Teens”, an article published by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  The awe this fact inspires is only outdone by the World Health Organization's “Suicide Data” under their “Mental Health” category.  According to those statistics, the only thing that kills more youth than suicide is accidents (Suicide Data).  It is shocking that despite the many risks youths face, suicide is the second highest.  That cars are the only thing that tops suicide is even more scary, especially when looking at the graphs on “Suicide Data,” which show the two bars extremely close together, with the third bar significantly smaller.  And in fact, as cars get safer, suicide may rise to the top of those graphs.

The threat from suicide is growing.  Data found in Benjamin Shain from the American Academy of Pediatrics‘ Committee on Adolescents within his article “Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents.” explains that even since 1997, when suicide was the third leading cause of youth death, thousands of suicides were being reported, in fact, “13% of all deaths in the 15- through 24-year-old age group [were suicides]”.  Yet another astounding set of facts emerges, 13% may not seem like a lot, but since there are thousands of ways to die, it is an extremely large amount for one cause to have.  Those thousands of dead are indiscriminately chosen.

Historically, many young people from differing backgrounds die from suicide each year.   “Suicide affects young people from all races and socioeconomic groups” writes Shain, who goes on to explain that while that is true, different groups show different levels of severity.  Male Native Americans and female African Americans are at the extreme ends of the spectrum, with the prior having the highest attempt rate, and the latter having the lowest (Shain).  The variety displayed corroborates that anyone, male or female, no matter who or where they are, can be affected by suicide. While these facts may seem like a no-brainer to some, many, especially youth do not realize it.  Shain also provided the statistic that 20%-30% of homosexual and bisexual middle and high schoolers had attempted suicide.  This study was a “statewide study,” however, and data might vary from state to state.  The National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high schoolers showed that in a year 8.7% if teens made an attempt, 18% make a plan, and a quarter of students considered suicide (Shain).  In a grade of 100 youth, that would mean that 9 would make an attempt, 9 others would have made plans without carrying them out, and 7 more would have considered suicide without making a plan.  The question now is why they would do such a thing.

Suicide happens due to a variety of reasons called risk factors, and the lead-up to a suicide attempt may be riddled with warning signs. Risk factors can include stress, strong emotions, perfectionism, loss, a violent environment, aggressive behavior, or being bullied (Suicide in).  “Teen Suicide is Preventable,” an article written by members of the American Psychological Association reports that “Mental illness is the leading risk factor for suicide.”  These issues are all mental and social, and many of them are seen as taboo topics in this “modern world.”  There are more tangible risk factors as well; access to guns or medication is yet another risk factor (Shain).  These physical items are found to be far easier to blame, and end up as political arguments, instead of stated facts.  Risk factors are as diverse as the day is long, however, and depending on an individual’s personal situation, many different risk factors will have many different effects; however nine out of ten people who commit suicide have risk factors in their life (Teen).  Removing or simply defining and noting these risk factors can be key to saving a life, especially if the person is showing warning signs of suicide.

Warning signs are cues that a person may be feeling suicidal.  Distancing oneself from friends and relations, high levels of sadness, fatigue, and aching are all emotional symptoms of suicidal thoughts or deeds (Suicide in).  These signs may, like many other warning signs, seem similar to some risk factors; indeed sometimes a risk factor and a warning sign may be one-and-the-same.  “Child and Adolescent Suicide,” published by Mental Health America provides a list of some physical risk factors, including clues or outright talk about committing suicide or dying, obsessing over death, “taking care of” possessions, drastic personality or “look” changes, changes in personal schedule, or hallucinations.  

An individual can make a world of difference when trying to stop a suicide attempt.  In a circumstance where an adult or peer suspects that a youth may be suicidal they should speak with the youth, asking them if they feel depressed or are thinking of suicide or death in an honest, open manner, allowing the youth to know that you are there to help, and that you care about them (Child).  The tone set by such mannerisms helps calm the adolescent, providing time to seek a medical professional.

However, one should always watch out if attempting to assist an adolescent in need.  “Parents, teachers and friends should always err on the side of caution and safety” (Shain).  In other words, if a person tries to help another with their problem, it is a possibility that they could make it worse.  One verbal misstep might send the youth over the edge. Every source provided so far has stated in one way or another: “Seek professional help.  It is essential to seek expert advice from a mental health professional that has experience helping depressed children and teens.” (Child).  If the potential helper is underqualified, then the chance skyrockets that the teen or child will attempt suicide.  That said, most articles also encouraged involvement.

If a potential helper is exhibiting carefulness, an honest will to help, and have been educated about their role in the situation, then they have an extremely low chance of causing harm to those they are trying to assist.  “It is really important for [parents] to be involved in [their] child’s treatment after hospital discharge,” explains article “After An Attempt: When Your Child Is Released from the Hospital.” written by members of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide.  Many other sources agree with their point of view, many adding that friends should also be part of the process.  The article goes on to explain that before anyone tries to help, they should first talk to a psychologist, preferably the one assigned to the minor in question.  The individual is a powerful force (After).

Attempts to stop suicide are being made on a larger scale as well.  The United States is a prime example. They have set up guidelines for news sources to stop “cluster suicides” -where multiple people may use a report of a successful suicide attempt to help shape their own, limited firearm access to teens, educated students in school, and set up crisis hotlines (Teen).  These efforts have helped bring down the national death count of youth from suicides, especially the media guidelines and crisis hotlines, however, the big question is how effective these changes will be in the long term, and whether updates will help or hinder these useful utilities.

A recent technological update has given the option of suicide hotlines using text-based-mediums to communicate with those who contact the hotline.  “‘I think when you get into a crisis situation, it’s better to talk to the person because you can say anything in a text, and I can’t tell how you’re feeling because I can’t hear anything in your voice,’” states Connie Martin a coordinator for the Lake County Crisis Hotline in Minnesota, via Caitlin Fertal for The News-Herald in her article “Suicide prevention agencies see pros, cons to texting option.”  Martin has run Lake County’s major hotline for around 20 years, and knows what she is talking about, as an experienced worker for a hotline that deals with tens of thousands of calls a year.  If such a professional feels that non-verbal communication will be disastrous, then one should take note. That said, that experience might make her blind to other options.

One of the things she may be missing is accessibility.  The national suicide hotline receives around a million calls a year (Fertal).  This giant number is comparable to the amount of young people who die from suicide a year (Suicide Data), so one can assume that it is taking a significant chunk of those who wish to attempt out of the chain simply through the chance to talk them down.  A Minnesota hotline recently upgraded to include texting as a communication medium -and received a million texts, matching the number received by the national suicide hotline (Fertal).  Surely, no matter how ineffective texting might be, if hotlines are doubling the amount of people you can reach, without losing the half they can communicate with effectively, they can’t increase the death rate, only shrink it.  Even a small boost can help so much when lives are on the line.

The significance, increase in occurrence, and previous record of suicide, the causation and warnings of suicidal individuals, and the pros and cons of small-scale and large-scale efforts to slow and stop suicide have been covered.  Now that this information has been shared, it must be used and spread. The only way for the information imparted to be useful is if the general public learns these, preferably from a young age, and from their peers. Don’t let more innocents die!

Works Cited

“After An Attempt: When Your Child Is Released from the Hospital.” SPTS.

“Child And Adolescent Suicide.” Mental Health America, Mental Health America, 19 Nov. 2013.

Fertal, Caitlin. “Suicide Prevention Agencies See Pros, Cons to Texting Option.” The News-Herald, The News-Herald, 2 Apr. 2012.

Shain, Benjamin. “Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents.” Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 Apr. 2000.

“Suicide Data.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 5 Nov. 2018.

“Suicide in Children and Teens.” Frequently Asked Questions, Oct. 2017.

“Teen Suicide Is Preventable.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association.