Teens and Suicide
About Teen Suicide
Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It's also thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every completed teen suicide.
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Nearly 60% of all suicides in the United States are committed with a gun. Overdosing is another common way in witch teenagers attempt suicide. It's important to monitor all medications in your home as well as keeping guns locked up so teenagers cannot access them. It's estimated that girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. Boys however, die by suicide about four times more often than girls.
Teen Suicide and Bullying
Victims of bullying are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims (Yale University).
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Bullying related suicide can be connected to any type of bullying, including physical bullying, cyberbullying, and the spreading of sexually explicit messages.
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It's often thought that youth who
report any involvement with bullying behavior are more likely to report high levels of suicide-related behavior. Victims of bullying sometimes do attempt suicide and that's why it's important to be nice to everyone, both online and in school.
Teen Suicide
Suicide:
Death caused by self-directed
injurious behavior with any intent to die.
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Suicide Attempt:
A non-fatal, self-directed,
potentially injurious behavior with any intent
to die as a result of the behavior.
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Suicidal Ideation:
Thinking about, considering, or planning for suicide or a suicide attempt.
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Any teenager can fall victim to bullying and/or suicidal behavior, however youth with disabilities, learning differences, sexual/gender identity differences, and/or cultural differences are often most
vulnerable to being bullied in school.
What we know
Youth who report being frequently bullied by others are at increased risk of suicide-
related behaviors.
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Often times, teenagers who bully are struggling themselves, either at home, in school, or online. Some bullying victims actually bully other children as a way to take the pain away from themselves.
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Both learning disabilities and religious beliefs can sometimes play a part in why people bully others. Often times, if teenagers are anything other than popular, they are considered an outcast to the bully, hence why they are picked on. Teenagers need to realize that no one is perfect and that no one is the same. Everyone is different in their own way and teens should not be harassed for being who they want to be.
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Teenagers should not judge other teenagers for what they believe in or how they feel about certain topics. Teens should be allowed to express themselves in any way they see fit, as long as it's in an appropriate and legal way.
