 | SUICIDE
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 to 25 in the United States! Every 100 minutes another teenager will commit suicide.An estimated 276,000 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 will try to kill themselves each year. About 5000 will succeed.
Twenty-seven percent of high school students said they had "thought seriously" about killing themselves during the past year. Eight percent said they had actually tried to kill themselves.
Ten percent of U.S. college students admitted serious thoughts about suicide. Seven percent had a suicide plan.
Most suicides occur in the home between 3 PM to midnight. There are 30 to 50 times as many attempted suicides as completed suicides.
People who talk about suicide often commit suicide. All talk about suicide should be taken seriously. People often have opposing feelings about whether or not they want to die, so there is always hope that they can change their minds if they receive professional help.
Suicide attempts are frequently made during periods of high-anxiety; if the stress is relieved, the attempter may change his or her mind. If you suspect a friend is contemplating suicide, take the initiative and just ask the person, "Are you thinking about killing or harming yourself?" and "How are you going to kill yourself?" This will often get them to talk about it.
Some people who are suicidal are very good at hiding their emotional pain, that is why it is okay to just come out and ask if you think someone is hurting on the inside. Very often those people are appearing cheerful and popular on the outside to mask their pain and suicidal thoughts on the inside.
Remember, just because a suicidal person may get professional help and overcome his suicidal feelings, this in itself does not mean those feelings will not return, especially when the person is confronted once again by the stress and the problems that caused him or her to consider suicide in the first place.
Some Warning Signs of Suicide:
-depression
-anger or hostility
-inability to feel pleasure
-feeling hopeless
-guilt
-isolation or withdrawal
-insomnia
-loss of appetite
-preoccupation with death
-giving things away that were once valued
-ending significant relationships or commitments (breaking up)
-sudden uplift in mood after depression
-sudden change in behavior or disruptive behavior
-promiscuity (being very sexually active)
-severe outbursts of temper
-excessive substance use
-absence from school or work
-inability to carry out normal tasks of daily life
-inability to laugh
Sometimes a depressed person plans an act of suicide in advance. (Often the planning of an act gives the person some feeling of control). Most often however, suicide attempts are “impulsive acts”. These acts occur during a time of feeling overwhelmingly upset. A situation like a breakup, an unintended pregnancy, the death of a sibling, a fight with a parent or boyfriend or girlfriend, being harmed by abuse or rape, or being victimized in any way can cause a young person to feel desperately upset. “Coming out” for homosexual teens can also lead to suicidal attempts if that person is no longer accepted by their family or friends.
In situations such as these, teens may fear humiliation, rejection, social isolation, or another consequence they think they can’t handle. Suicide attempts occur under conditions like this because in desperation and confusion, some teens see no other way out.
DEPRESSION
Approximately 1 out of 15 teenagers get seriously depressed each year.
What is Depression?
Depression is a type of mental disorder that affects a person’s mood. It can affect your thoughts, feelings, behavior, and overall health. Depression can affect anybody, including teenagers. Most people with depression can be helped with treatment, but many depressed people never get the help they need. When depression isn’t treated, it can get worse, last longer, and prevent you from getting the most out of your life. Remember, you're only a teenager once.
When You're Depressed...
-You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.
-You feel guilty for no real reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost your confidence.
-Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again.
-You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.
-You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like -- like music, sports, being with friends, going out -- and you want to be left alone most of the time.
-It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.
-You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you overreact.
-Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.
-Your eating habits change; you've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.
-You feel restless and tired most of the time.
-You think about death, or feel like you're dying, or have thoughts about committing suicide.
Why Do People Get Depressed?
Sometimes people get seriously depressed after a intense incident, like a divorce in the family, someone you love dying, a stressful home life, violence, or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Other times, depression just happens by itself.
Often teenagers react to the pain of depression by getting into trouble; trouble with alcohol, drugs, or sex; trouble with school or bad grades; problems with family or friends. This is another reason why it's important to get treatment for depression before it leads to other trouble.
What about suicide?
Most people who are depressed do not commit suicide. But depression increases the risk for suicide or suicide attempts. It is NOT true that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it. Suicidal thoughts, remarks, or attempts are ALWAYS SERIOUS... if any of these happen to you or a friend, you must tell a responsible adult IMMEDIATELY!
ALL talk of suicide should be taken seriously! Ask the person -- "Do you feel like killing yourself?" Just come out and ask -- then let them talk.
We're not alone...
Written by Unknown
Submitted by Christinaa |  |
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