If you had a chance to save someone’s life would you do it? What if that someone was a friend or a relative would you think twice about it? Many people have had a chance of saving a teenager’s life, but don’t do so because they don’t pay attention to the warning signs. Suicide to teens is often thought as a "solution" or "escape" to all of their problems, but what teens don’t think about is that suicide is permanent and irreversible and once you kill yourself its over. One of the reasons why the thought of suicide crosses a teenager’s mind is that they have many problems and are often underestimated by adults of just being little incidents in life. That is the reason why teenagers don’t feel understood by people and also feel that they don’t make a difference in the world. What these teens are really asking for is to be understood by society and to be treated as human beings. Teenagers often commit suicide because they are having feelings of depression and their mental and emotional pain is so unbearable they don’t even think about any other resources to relieve their pain than to kill themselves. Many times teens don’t see the options that are available to them and all the resources they can resort to. Resources like talking to someone they can really trust like a friend or family member. Sometimes just a mere talk with a teen can make him or she feel understood or cared about. Suicide warnings are signals that teens send when the thought of suicide crosses their mind. These signs should not be ignored and should be paid attention to very carefully. These signs include statements of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness, constantly listening to death related music, suicide notes, risk taking behavior, obsession with guns or knives, self-destructive behavior, loss of interest in things they once cared about, and also giving up their favorite possessions. Examples of hopeless comments are "nothing really matters"or "I just want to end it all" some people take this as the teen is having a difficult time and eventually it will overcome it. The truth is that teens don’t have the experience of adults to overcome problems quickly and one small problem in their life can mean the end of the world to their point of view. The main warning signs that should be listened to are lack of planning for the future, giving away important or valuable possessions, sudden changes in mood, and specific plans, such as when, where an attempt will be made. Many parents ask themselves the same question "how can you know if my teenager is serious about killing themselves or is my teenager just trying to manipulate me? Well the answer to that question is that the majority of the times its serious and parents should take their teenager’s cry for help seriously. Teens are often feeling thoughts of suicide for many reasons and its important to tell them they are cared about and understood and that many teens all over the world are going having the same problems they are having. Teenagers are more likely to make a suicide attempt if they have a method planned out, an specific date or time for the attempt, if they know or idealize a person who has attempted or committed suicide, or on anniversaries where they had a loss(a relationship, break-up or a death). Some friends do notice their friend’s depression and are often willing to help. Although these friend mean well they offer their help in the wrong way. For example, they may tell their depressive friend "cheer up" or "let’s go out, you’ll feel better. Although they want to help, suicidal teens may take their comments as "stop being so whiny" or trying to avoid listening to them. What teenagers need at that point in their life is to feel appreciated and to be able to talk to someone and confide what they are feeling at that point in their life. Sometimes friends think that they have done everything they can for their suicidal friend but their friend just wont change. If a friend feels that their suicidal friend’s problem is out of their hands. Then they should encourage that friend to talk to a professional or a teacher they may trust can make a huge part in saving a friend’s life. Other things people should do to help a teen in their time of need is to share personal experiences with them. Sometimes if a friend or relative lets a teen know they felt that way when they were teens and that is tough but they overcame it, often encourages teens to see life in a whole different perspective. Also many friends can help by telling the teen on everything they would miss out if they ended their life so quickly. Things like going to prom, graduating high school, achieving a career, getting married , travel , or even have children. Also letting them know that many people care about them and many people will be hurt if they decided to commit such act. People like parents, friends, classmates, and siblings would be very dismayed and sad if they killed themselves. Many teens commit suicide because of many aspects of life. Many are depression, low self-esteem, feeling rejected by society, and peer pressure. Depression plays a huge rule in a teenager wanting to commit suicide. Depression can mean a teen always feeling down about everything. For example, not wanting to go out, feelings of being to skinny or too fat feeling like everybody else is better than them and that they shouldn’t exist. Many often think they have what it is referred to as an imaginary audience. Which means they feel that everywhere they go everyone is looking at them and criticizing them which in may cases it’s not true. Also low self-esteem can play another major role in suicidal teens. Low self-esteem can cause teens to feel that everyone is better than them, more normal, or that they are living better lives than them. Teens who have low self-esteem also have feelings of rejection they feel that because of their appearance or their personality people avoid them or don’t want to hang out with them.
Peer pressure is also another big contributor to suicide in teens. Fitting into a certain type of group or click at school and in society is a critical point in a teenager’s life and is often always on their mind. Belonging to a certain click or group means that you have to be like them, act like them and in many cases think the like them. Many teens because of belonging to a certain click are often forced into doing something they don’t want to because they are afraid if they don’t do it they would be ridiculed and other teens will think they are not "cool". Some teens are forced into doing something so bad that afterwards they feel guilty and end up killing themselves. Other teens feel that the pressure of their so called friends is too much that they believe is never going to end and the thought of suicide crosses their mind. Also teenagers peers often pressure them into doing drugs, abuse alcohol, and to get sexually active. They try to convince these teenagers this is normal and that everyone is doing it and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Many teens are often tired of the bad lifestyle they are living and often feel dirty and although they want to get out of this lifestyle, in their point of view they can’t and their only option is to commit suicide. Although very tragic and sad suicide is one of the leading causes of death for kids in middle school and high school but it can be prevented if adults and friends are aware of the warning signs and have a somewhat Idea of what to do. If signs are being sent by a teenager, an adult or friend should talk to the teen and let them know that they are cared about and that they can talk to them openly about their suicidal thoughts and how they are feeling. Many times does not like to talk to talk about suicide with their friends or their parents, so at this point what should be done is take them to a specialist in the area. By doing all these things and watching out for signals friends and family can prevent a teenager from committing suicide.
1 comment:
Teen Suicide and how it
can be prevented
If you had a chance to save someone’s life would you do it? What if that someone was a friend or a relative would you think twice about it? Many people have had a chance of saving a teenager’s life, but don’t do so because they don’t pay attention to the warning signs. Suicide to teens is often thought as a "solution" or "escape" to all of their problems, but what teens don’t think about is that suicide is permanent and irreversible and once you kill yourself its over.
One of the reasons why the thought of suicide crosses a teenager’s mind is that they have many problems and are often underestimated by adults of just being little incidents in life. That is the reason why teenagers don’t feel understood by people and also feel that they don’t make a difference in the world. What these teens are really asking for is to be understood by society and to be treated as human beings.
Teenagers often commit suicide because they are having feelings of depression and their mental and emotional pain is so unbearable they don’t even think about any other resources to relieve their pain than to kill themselves. Many times teens don’t see the options that are available to them and all the resources they can resort to. Resources like talking to someone they can really trust like a friend or family member. Sometimes just a mere talk with a teen can make him or she feel understood or cared about.
Suicide warnings are signals that teens send when the thought of suicide crosses their mind. These signs should not be ignored and should be paid attention to very carefully. These signs include statements of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness, constantly listening to death related music, suicide notes, risk taking behavior, obsession with guns or knives, self-destructive behavior, loss of interest in things they once cared about, and also giving up their favorite possessions. Examples of hopeless comments are "nothing really matters"or "I just want to end it all" some people take this as the teen is having a difficult time and eventually it will overcome it. The truth is that teens don’t have the experience of adults to overcome problems quickly and one small problem in their life can mean the end of the world to their point of view. The main warning signs that should be listened to are lack of planning for the future, giving away important or valuable possessions, sudden changes in mood, and specific plans, such as when, where an attempt will be made.
Many parents ask themselves the same question "how can you know if my teenager is serious about killing themselves or is my teenager just trying to manipulate me? Well the answer to that question is that the majority of the times its serious and parents should take their teenager’s cry for help seriously. Teens are often feeling thoughts of suicide for many reasons and its important to tell them they are cared about and understood and that many teens all over the world are going having the same problems they are having.
Teenagers are more likely to make a suicide attempt if they have a method planned out, an specific date or time for the attempt, if they know or idealize a person who has attempted or committed suicide, or on anniversaries where they had a loss(a relationship, break-up or a death).
Some friends do notice their friend’s depression and are often willing to help. Although these friend mean well they offer their help in the wrong way. For example, they may tell their depressive friend "cheer up" or "let’s go out, you’ll feel better. Although they want to help, suicidal teens may take their comments as "stop being so whiny" or trying to avoid listening to them. What teenagers need at that point in their life is to feel appreciated and to be able to talk to someone and confide what they are feeling at that point in their life. Sometimes friends think that they have done everything they can for their suicidal friend but their friend just wont change. If a friend feels that their suicidal friend’s problem is out of their hands. Then they should encourage that friend to talk to a professional or a teacher they may trust can make a huge part in saving a friend’s life.
Other things people should do to help a teen in their time of need is to share personal experiences with them. Sometimes if a friend or relative lets a teen know they felt that way when they were teens and that is tough but they overcame it, often encourages teens to see life in a whole different perspective. Also many friends can help by telling the teen on everything they would miss out if they ended their life so quickly. Things like going to prom, graduating high school, achieving a career, getting married , travel , or even have children. Also letting them know that many people care about them and many people will be hurt if they decided to commit such act. People like parents, friends, classmates, and siblings would be very dismayed and sad if they killed themselves.
Many teens commit suicide because of many aspects of life. Many are depression, low self-esteem, feeling rejected by society, and peer pressure. Depression plays a huge rule in a teenager wanting to commit suicide. Depression can mean a teen always feeling down about everything. For example, not wanting to go out, feelings of being to skinny or too fat feeling like everybody else is better than them and that they shouldn’t exist. Many often think they have what it is referred to as an imaginary audience. Which means they feel that everywhere they go everyone is looking at them and criticizing them which in may cases it’s not true.
Also low self-esteem can play another major role in suicidal teens. Low self-esteem can cause teens to feel that everyone is better than them, more normal, or that they are living better lives than them. Teens who have low self-esteem also have feelings of rejection they feel that because of their appearance or their personality people avoid them or don’t want to hang out with them.
Peer pressure is also another big contributor to suicide in teens. Fitting into a certain type of group or click at school and in society is a critical point in a teenager’s life and is often always on their mind.
Belonging to a certain click or group means that you have to be like them, act like them and in many cases think the like them. Many teens because of belonging to a certain click are often forced into doing something they don’t want to because they are afraid if they don’t do it they would be ridiculed and other teens will think they are not "cool".
Some teens are forced into doing something so bad that afterwards they feel guilty and end up killing themselves. Other teens feel that the pressure of their so called friends is too much that they believe is never going to end and the thought of suicide crosses their mind. Also teenagers peers often pressure them into doing drugs, abuse alcohol, and to get sexually active. They try to convince these teenagers this is normal and that everyone is doing it and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Many teens are often tired of the bad lifestyle they are living and often feel dirty and although they want to get out of this lifestyle, in their point of view they can’t and their only option is to commit suicide.
Although very tragic and sad suicide is one of the leading causes of death for kids in middle school and high school but it can be prevented if adults and friends are aware of the warning signs and have a somewhat Idea of what to do. If signs are being sent by a teenager, an adult or friend should talk to the teen and let them know that they are cared about and that they can talk to them openly about their suicidal thoughts and how they are feeling. Many times does not like to talk to talk about suicide with their friends or their parents, so at this point what should be done is take them to a specialist in the area. By doing all these things and watching out for signals friends and family can prevent a teenager from committing suicide.
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