Adolescent Suicides

Paper Summary:

The paper shows that in the United States the suicide rate among teenagers has tripled in the last 25 years and is now the second most common cause of death of teenagers. Although the psychiatrists and sociologists are still struggling to find the causes behind the trend, recent research indicates that depression, substance abuse, behavioral problems, easy access to guns, family history of suicides, and exposure to violence are major risk factors leading to suicide in the young. In this paper various aspects of adolescent suicides are examined, including its major causes, its occurrence among the youth of different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation. The paper also looks at ways of preventing it.

From the Paper:

"Three times as many teenage girls attempt suicide as boys. However, the single most likely candidate for "successful" suicide is the white teenaged boy. The reason why more girls attempt suicides but the boys lead the field in fatal suicides is because the boys are likely to use more lethal methods for suicide such as firearms and hanging. The girls usually resort to methods such as consuming sleeping pills that have a higher survival rate. Moreover, according to psychiatrists, the girls while attempting suicide are crying out for help in desperation and could be secretly hoping to be rescued. On the other hand, the boys "conditioned to bottle up their emotions are so ashamed of their feelings that they figure they are better off dead.""

More papers on Adolescent Suicides:

• Essay # 36214 : "Adolescent Suicides"
• Term Paper # 108039 : "Adolescent Suicide Prevention Methods"
• Research Paper # 107615 : "Adolescent Suicide"

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