Teenage Girls Suicide

Teenage Girls Suicide

Introduction

Teenage suicide is a societal problem that is more serious than we possibly think. In recent years, cases of teenage suicide have increased, and this should be a serious concern if the safety of these teenagers is to be assured. In the contemporary society, teenagers are faced with many problems daily. When these problems are not addressed satisfactorily, and in time, they can lead to serious mental issues such as adolescent depression and, ultimately, suicide (Rubenstein et al., 1998). Arguably, suicide in teens is one of the most problematic and traumatic challenges parents, mentors, and educators face as they interact with teenagers. This is because it is one of the leading causes of death in teenagers, along with accidents and drug abuse. However, the challenge of suicide in teenagers is more prevalent in girls. They think about suicide and attempt suicide more two times more than teenage boys, showing that they are mostly unable to deal with emotional stress and depression.

About teen suicide

The tragedy of teenage girls and boys committing suicide as a result of overwhelming frustration or hopelessness is always devastating for friends, parents, family, and the community as a whole. Therefore, learning about the causes of teenage suicide is vital in enabling parents and the society to have the ability to identify troubled teenagers and help them. This can significantly lower the reported cases of the society, subsequently helping in enhancing the safety and health of teenagers. Even though teenage suicide is not always preventable, better awareness of the society is a crucial element in addressing the problem. The reasons for teenage suicide are relatively complex to understand. Although cases of young people committing or attempting suicide are rare compared to the older population, the cases involving adolescent girls and boys are relatively more compared to the rest of the persons aged between 13-24 years. While there are is no absolute understanding of the reasons for more suicidal tendencies in teenagers, some circumstances have been highlighted as the possible causes of teenage suicide.

One of the reasons why teens attempt suicide is access to firearms or other weapons. In the United States, more than 60 percent of the reported cases of suicide in teens have been committed using guns (Freitas et al., 2008). This shows the significance of the relationship between the access firearms by teenagers and the possibility of committing or attempting suicide. Other causes of suicidal tendencies in teenagers that have been identified include drug abuse, cyberbullying, and emotional stress. However, studies have shown that more girls think of suicide than boys, but more teenage boys die because of suicide than girls. This can be attributed to the increased likelihood of teenage boys using more lethal ways of committing suicidal such as hanging, poisoning, firearms, or jumping heights.

Healthy people 2020

There are different parameters that can be used to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy people. Several overarching goals have to be  set if the objectives of healthy people in 2020 are to be achieved. These include achieving life free from preventable diseases, avoiding injuries, attaining high-quality life and preventing premature death. Therefore, the improvement of the health of all people is the key to achieving these objectives. A critical element of this is the prevention of suicide in teenagers. This can only be achieved if parents, guardians, and educators play a more active role in talking to teenagers, understanding the problems they face, and providing solutions to their challenges. Preventing suicide in teenage boys and girls is vital in the enhancement of health equity, elimination of disparities, and the improvement of health of all people.

Why teenage girls are at higher risk of committing suicide

Teenage girls are a delicate part of the population that must be handled carefully. It is a vital gray area between adulthood and childhood. It is usually a worrisome and stressful period for teenage girls. This is because some adolescent girls find it difficult to balance between the pressure to act responsibly, perform academically, and be socially fit. The teenage period is also marked with sexual identity in girls, and relationships, that often do not resonate well with the expectations of others. Despite these challenges that face all teenage girls, some studies have argued that teenage girls with mental health issues such as insomnia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety are more likely to think about or attempt suicide (Owens et al., 2000). Also, teenage girls that face significant life changes, such as parents divorce, financial challenges, and death of parents, are at increased risk of committing suicide.  Therefore, parents, guardians, and educators must be able to identify the indicators of mental problems in girls that can lead to disastrous decisions such as committing suicide. Some of the indicators that they should look at include feelings of hopelessness, depression, family history of depression, lack of support network, loneliness, previous attempts of suicide, and stress (Hollis, 1996). These indicators are more prevalent in teenage girls, and hence special attention should be given to teenage girls exhibiting any of them.

Handling teenage suicide in girls

Teenage suicide, not only in girls but also in boys, can be prevented. As such, parents must be keen not to miss any of the warning signs that a teenager is becoming more inclined towards thinking, attempting, or committing suicide. For girls, it is much easier to identify the warning signs because they are more likely to think of suicide that boys (Schaffer et al., 1988). However, fewer girls ultimately commit or die of suicide m parents should listen and watch over teenage girls for any warning signs of suicide. This is the first step in the mitigation of the challenges of teenage suicide. This is because parents will be in a better position to understand the daily changes occurring in the teenage girls, consequently making it easier for them to confide 8n and share experiences with their parents. In addition, parents should question their teenage girls on a number of life issues, including their feelings on suicide. Teenagers who seem to be open to the idea of suicide should be counseled and provided with psychiatric services to help them develop a better approach to addressing life challenges. In addition, they should be guided on the best ways to solve teenage problems so as to reduce the risk of teenage girls thinking about suicide.

Conclusion

Conclusively, teenage suicide is a social problem that should be given better attention than it has been previously. This is because the mental health and the safety of teenagers are of paramount importance to families and society as a whole. While the risk of thinking about suicide is more in teenage girls, it is salient that parents understand the warning signs for both boys and girls since more boys commit or die if suicide than girls. They should talk to them, ask them questions, counsel them, and guide them on the ways of dealing with teenage challenges, personal losses, academic pressure, and emotional stress.

References

Hollis, C. (1996). Depression, family environment, and adolescent suicidal behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child & adolescent psychiatry, 35(5), 622-630.

Freitas, G. V., Cais, C. F., Stefanello, S., & Botega, N. J. (2008). Psychosocial conditions and suicidal behavior in pregnant teenagers. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 17(6), 336.

Owens, L., Slee, P., & Shute, R. (2000). ‘It Hurts a Hell of a Lot…’ The Effects of Indirect Aggression on Teenage Girls. School Psychology International, 21(4), 359-376.

Rubenstein, J. L., Halton, A., Kasten, L., Rubin, C., & Stechler, G. (1998). Suicidal behavior in adolescents: stress and protection in different family contexts. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68(2), 274-284.

Shaffer, D., Garland, A., Gould, M., Fisher, P., & Trautman, P. (1988). Preventing teenage suicide: A critical review. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27(6), 675-687.