Teenage Suicide Cause and Effects

Thousands of teenagers commit suicide each year, but how many people actually take the time to find out why they took their lives? I wanted to find out why teenagers commit suicide and whether or not their peers could have detected warning signs. According to statistics, suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers. (“Adolescent Suicide.”) There are many reasons that teenagers commit suicide such as: school disappointments, depression, and identity issues.

Teen suicide is so much more than just the death of a teenager. The causes and effects of suicide can be a very scary thing at times, but it is a topic that everyone should begin to familiarize themselves with as it becomes more popular in our society today. Teenagers can commit suicide because school can be too much for them to handle. The pressure on juniors and seniors is intense. They feel that they must succeed academically, socially and athletically. They push themselves to the limit. All you have to do is add other factors like sexuality and family issues such as divorce or finances, and now there is a recipe for disaster. Teenagers in high school sometimes have a hard time trying to “fit in” with others. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it. (“Teen Depression”) The leading cause of teenage suicide in school is due to bullying. Bullying is a very serious and sad thing to go through. I myself have gone through bullying when I was in high school. It made me feel low, I had bad self-esteem, and because depressed even because all I wanted to do was be like the other kids. Bully-related suicide can be connected to any type of bullying, including physical bullying, emotional bullying, cyber bullying, sexting, or circulating suggestive or nude photos or messages about a person.

The effects of teenage suicide in school can be students dropping out at an early age and in some cases committing suicide. It’s a sad thing to hear, but we all need to be aware of this and help stop teenagers who are affected by this. Teens go through a vulnerable period at this stage in their lives. No matter how small or big their problems, their troubles may feel unbearable or overwhelming. Disappointments can be a major cause of teenage suicide. Suffering through a major disappointment such as rejection, loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend and failure at school or in sports may trigger suicidal tendencies in teens, which have difficulty coping with these kinds of situations. Teenagers have their own way in trying to deal with things. Disappointments are one of the hardest one’s to deal with. If a teenager feels like he/she are being let down or rejected by someone he/she love, he/she may feel all alone and useless.

Dealing with a break up whether it’s their girlfriend or boyfriend, which can be a real disappointment to some teenagers. They feel like that is the only person they will ever love or ever find. Some relationships can be abusive, and teenagers feel that the only way to get out of that is by committing suicide. Nobody just ever knows what a teenager is going through because we sometimes don’t show our feelings in public. Being disappointed is not a good feeling to through, especially if it’s by someone who you are close with. Experts estimate that teen depression strikes about one out of eight teenagers (“Depression,” KidsHealth.org). Teenage depression is one of the leading causes of suicide. Depression is not prejudice it affects people of genders, ages, and any background. Depression is defined as a mentally unstable and the emotional state marked by sadness, discouragement, and loss that can occur during a teenage years. Studies show that 20 percent of high school students are deeply unhappy or have some kind of problem (Dr. David Kalkstein, psychiatrist at Penn Foundation)

Teenage depression isn’t just bad moods; it’s a serious problem that impacts every aspect of a teen’s life. The effects of teen depression are long suffering. Teenagers can go through life with depression and never get any treatment and never talk to anybody about them. Suicide can be very detrimental for the families as well. The families may struggle to understand why their family member took his/her life, particularly if he/she did not show any signs. Since the teenage years are among the most difficult years of life, it can be a very serious time to find out who are in life. Teenagers go through a lot in these times, and parents sometimes don’t see it. Trying to figure out who they are in life is a hard process, especially for teenagers. Teenagers face a lot of problems, challenges and situations that can cause or show signs of stress which can eventually lead up to suicide. (“Teen Depression “) Most teens can’t handle the pressure of life, and they feel that they only way to get out of it is by committing suicide. Teenagers have so many things in life that can be overwhelming such as: their appearance, social pressure, and families. Teens experience many significant physical changes.

Some may be gaining weight, your hair is not a certain length, and they might not look like other girls/guys. For teenage girls it can be very hard on them because they don’t meet the “requirements” of today’s appearance. That can cause a lot of low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Social pressure is a big deal too, because most teens want to fit in with their peer group, and try their hardest to win the approval of their friends and classmates. (“Psychology”) Some teens feel like if they increase their social pressure to engage in early sexual behaviors, experiment with smoking, drugs or alcohol, or to participate in other activities they might feel compelled to do, simply because they want to be accepted into a particular group. Family problems such as parents separating or divorcing, death in the family, parents who argue, emotional or physical abuse, and fighting with siblings can contribute to increased behavioral levels. Every teenager deal with things differently, and some may not and can’t handle the fact there is problems in their families. You just never know what teenagers are going through because most teenagers don’t show signs and emotions.

The causes for the situations can be the teenager running away from home, the teenager doing very serious drugs, and in sometimes suicide. The tragedy of a young person dying because of overwhelming hopelessness or frustration is devastating to family, friends, and community. All the above troubles can only happen when nobody steps in to help. The effects of teenage suicide are life long suffering and the families are the ones to take it hard. They may feel that they caused their child to commit suicide, and they blame themselves for letting it happen. Then the parents go through life having that weight on their shoulders and having that guilt in their hearts. Teenage suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. School, disappointment, depression, and identity issues are a few of the many causes of teenage suicide. There are many teens out there every day considering taking their lives and it needs to stop now. People need to be informed of this issue because it is becoming a worse problem every year. If people take time to care, teens all over will be saved from this sad tragedy.

Work Citied
“Adolescent Suicide.” CHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Dec. 2013. “Adolescent Suicide”-Causes,Symptoms, Treatment, Diagnosis. N.p.,n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014 “NAMI – The National Alliance on Mental Illness.” NAMI. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. “Psychology.” Understanding The Effect Of Depression Amongst Teens Psychology Essay. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. “Teen Depression – Teen Suicide.” Teen Depression – Teen Suicide. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014