Suicide among teenagers

Suicide cases among boys and girls are common in different countries. Canada and United States are the two countries, which have recorded the highest rates of suicide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims that suicide is the third death cause among teens after homicide and accidents (Pompili et al., 2013). Such a risk for suicide often increases when teenagers easily access guns within their homesteads. However, the reasons behind suicide cases vary from one person to another. On the other hand, parents lack the mechanisms for identifying potential symptoms of suicide disorder among their teenagers, which worsens the situation in society. The breakdown of the traditional family set-up, which leaves several youth in an adult-like freedom and makes them to lose value for the education system and homes, contributes to the development of suicide in society.

According to Cheung et al, both male and female teenagers engage in suicide attempts at relatively equal proportions of 11.1% and 10.1% respectively. Such occurs because of the engagement in risky and reckless behaviors among teens. Sexual experiences and frequent drinking are also key factors, which trigger teenagers to engage in suicidal cases. Individuals with the disorder for suicide express symptoms, which include extreme personality changes, gain or loss in appetite, withdrawal from friends and family members, poor performance in school, drug and alcohol abuse, extreme panic and anxiety, sadness, unusual beliefs, aggressiveness and lack of sleep among others.

Teenagers that engage in suicide are individuals who have stressful life events, mood disorders, hopelessness feelings, lonely lives, poor support from society and interpersonal problems . As such, these individuals find that suicide is the best option for them to solve their inherent personal problems, which limit them from achieving their desired success level in life. Nevertheless, research indicates that substance abuse and suicide are two social issues, which have a closer relationship. Thus, substance abuse has a contributory role in the development of suicidal cases among teenagers. Such occurs since teenagers are the key victims of the various types of substance abuse, in modern society.

In conclusion, suicide cases are common among teenagers in different locations. As such, there is a need to adopt preventive programmes that focus on the detection of risky suicidal factors, as well as substance abuse disorders among the teenagers. These programmes should include therapeutic strategies, such as pharmacological treatment, peer-based education, psychotherapy and school-based learning.