Teenage suicide has become a critical national problem. The extent of that problem is boggling; a teenager attempts suicide every ninety seconds, and another succeeds every ninety minutes. Recent estimates show, as many as 5,000 teenagers each year commit suicide, while an additional 500,000 try unsuccessfully to end their own lives. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among adolescents, second only to accidents, some of which may be suicides. .
It's reported that 63% of high school students admitted having had thoughts about suicide at some point in their lives. Thoughts of suicide are not dangerous unless they become frequent or a teen threatens to act on them. A suicide thought is not as significant as a suicide wish and a wish is not as dangerous as a specific plan of action. A suicide plan may lead to an attempt. And about 1 in 10 of those who attempt will ultimately complete.
While some families that suffer a suicide are close and loving, many others are not. Many families with members at risk for suicide show certain, or similar, characteristics. The causes of teen suicide are numerous the effect is suicide it self.
A teen needs to feel valued by her family. She needs to feel that she matters to her parents, that she is important to them. A teenager can have all of her material needs met but still feel unwanted. An adolescent's feelings of self-worth are determined by how she thinks other people feel about her. Low self-esteem is a common characteristic of suicidal people of all ages.
A lack of attention can be hurtful, but the wrong kind of attention from a parent can be devastating. Young people who have been abused emotionally, physically and sexually are more likely to be suicide victims. The abuse can cause a teen to feel so much pain that death seems to be the only escape. An abused teenager who hurts himself is simply imitating the way his parents have been treating him for most of his life.
