Adolescent Suicide

Literature Review Suicide has quickly become one of the leading causes of death in the adolescent age group in the United States. It is an important public policy issue to address because it is not centralized to just one region or any specific group, despite it being more prevalent in some gender, racial, and socioeconomic groups. Suicide is a preventable death, which is why it is a very real issue that needs the attention of the public agenda. There are many individuals who are familiar with adolescent suicide, but the lack of action surrounding this issue causes it to be overlooked. There is not a single identifiable source for adolescent suicide or a successful method for prevention. However, there are several theories surrounding the motivations of an adolescent to commit this act. There is an absence of policy to address mental health issues leading up to suicide in adolescents in the United States.
Psychological Issues and Substance Abuse In general, suicide can be attributed to psychological and substance abuse issues. However, most individuals do not view these concepts as relative to adolescents. Mental illness is already so stigmatized in the community; people are in disbelief that adolescents can be facing these issues. There have been several theories that have been developed or applied to adolescent suicide to …show more content…
The article suggests that school-based prevention programs should screen for health-risk behaviors associated with suicide attempts. The article then suggests that these individuals should then be offered referrals and preventative services to these youth (INSERT CITATION). The goal of a school-based program is to train school officials to identify at-risk individuals and to help prevent further adolescent suicide. Furthermore, it is necessary to make the environment safe for adolescents, which will help achieve positive health and education