A Review on the Epidemic of Adolescent Suicides
Suicide is one of the most saddening topics to discuss. As a whole, suicide is awful. However, the population that I find the most concerning is adolescents. Sadly, suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents. With an influx of bullying and society’s ideals of perfection, there is no wonder how a depressed teen’s fixation on suicide is fed. In order to investigate the topic, I read three peer reviewed journals discussing teen suicide. All of which I found disheartening yet informative.
In “Death Will Abide”: A Mediation on an Adolescent Suicide, Ellen Lambert discusses the suicide of one of her english …show more content…
Psychologists Philip A. Rutter and Andrew E. Behrendt conducted a study to find an answer. Rutter and Behrendt examined 100 teens between the ages of 17 to 19 based on suicidal ideation, behavior, and attempt history. They theorized that hopelessness, hostility, negative self-concept, and isolation are consistent in suicide risk and that by focussing on these factors, we can enhance assessment and prevention. Furthermore, they believed that past theories that an adolescent’s demographics are responsible for their suicide does not explain the entire picture. “This approach also suggests that adolescents of a certain demographic may be at higher risk for suicide, but focusing on demographics alone may lead to misidentifying those not at risk, as well as bypassing those who are actually at risk for suicidal behavior,” (Rutter & Behrendt 2004). Since an adolescent’s demographics are not always the case, the four psychological factors make sense. For example, I believe these factors may explain why a bullied adolescent may commit suicide. First, the adolescent may feel isolated because they have little friends or no one to turn to. Second, because they are bullied they will develop a negative self-concept. They may think that what their bullies are saying is true and make those opinions their own. Third, they may feel hostile if someone tries to help them, or they may pretend like nothing is wrong or that they are not affected. Last, the constant bullying will lead them to feel hopeless. It is understandable why these factors may lead to suicide. However, are certain adolescent populations more vulnerable to bullying thus causing
Suicide is one of the most saddening topics to discuss. As a whole, suicide is awful. However, the population that I find the most concerning is adolescents. Sadly, suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents. With an influx of bullying and society’s ideals of perfection, there is no wonder how a depressed teen’s fixation on suicide is fed. In order to investigate the topic, I read three peer reviewed journals discussing teen suicide. All of which I found disheartening yet informative.
In “Death Will Abide”: A Mediation on an Adolescent Suicide, Ellen Lambert discusses the suicide of one of her english …show more content…
Psychologists Philip A. Rutter and Andrew E. Behrendt conducted a study to find an answer. Rutter and Behrendt examined 100 teens between the ages of 17 to 19 based on suicidal ideation, behavior, and attempt history. They theorized that hopelessness, hostility, negative self-concept, and isolation are consistent in suicide risk and that by focussing on these factors, we can enhance assessment and prevention. Furthermore, they believed that past theories that an adolescent’s demographics are responsible for their suicide does not explain the entire picture. “This approach also suggests that adolescents of a certain demographic may be at higher risk for suicide, but focusing on demographics alone may lead to misidentifying those not at risk, as well as bypassing those who are actually at risk for suicidal behavior,” (Rutter & Behrendt 2004). Since an adolescent’s demographics are not always the case, the four psychological factors make sense. For example, I believe these factors may explain why a bullied adolescent may commit suicide. First, the adolescent may feel isolated because they have little friends or no one to turn to. Second, because they are bullied they will develop a negative self-concept. They may think that what their bullies are saying is true and make those opinions their own. Third, they may feel hostile if someone tries to help them, or they may pretend like nothing is wrong or that they are not affected. Last, the constant bullying will lead them to feel hopeless. It is understandable why these factors may lead to suicide. However, are certain adolescent populations more vulnerable to bullying thus causing