[Source: Ebony Magazine]
In United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death of those between ages 15-24.
For years, suicide has been in the top ten reasons for teenage death and numbers have been rising since early 2000’s. According to the 2015 results from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 41,149 suicides just in the United States in the rate of 113 suicides per day, or one every thirteen minutes, in 2013.
It also turns out that more teenagers die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined.
Teenagers who are lesbian, gay, or bisextual are three times more likely to attempt suicide according to Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE. Among Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, the LGBTQ community seemed to have a higher attempt in suicide.
For adults, most common ways were drowning, electric shock, exsanguination, jumping, suffocation, carbon monoxide inhalation, poisoning, hanging, drug or alcohol use, and gunshot. For teens, they were firearms, drugs, or hanging.
[Source: CAL Matters]
People who are considering suicide usually show signs that they want to commit it. Signs usually include talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves, looking for a way to kill themselves, talking about how hopeless they feel, increasing their drug or alcohol use, sleeping too little or too much, extreme mood swings, or talking about showing rage or seeking revenge.
“I don’t even want to imagine if my children are considering about suicide,” said Sunhee Lee, mother of two children each starting middle and high school. “To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cope with it.”
Brenna Hutchinson, a health teacher at Clark Magnet High School, said that “When teaching, I remind my students that there will be hard times and rough spots in life. Everyone experiences these difficult times including their parents, friends and even their teachers (including myself).” she also said that “ It is important for a teen who may be experiencing their own difficult times (ex: being bullied, not fitting it, financial issues, fight with significant other and many more) to not be afraid to speak up and about how their feeling with family, friends or a trusted adult.”
Suicide is never the answer. Whatever the reason is, it is permanent and will not solve the problem. For further information, or help, go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call (1)800-273-8225.
