"We used to hear of suicides on the news, but now they"re so common they aren't even reported" ("Youth" 1). This statement, as scary as it is, is true. Teen suicides have become an increasingly large problem and issue in today's society. Every day, more and more people make themselves part of the statistics. People don't realize the dramatic effects that suicide puts into people's lives until it happens to them or someone they know. Although teen suicide is altered by depression, mental illnesses, unfitting home, school, or work environments, it can be prevented.
The statistics for the rate of teen suicide are at an all-time high. In fact, teen suicide rates have more than tripled since 1970 ("Teenage" 1). In Australia alone, 40,000 teens will attempt suicide this year ("Youth" 2). Slightly over 400 people out of the 40,000 that attempt will be successful. These numbers are astonishing, but unfortunately true. Eight percent of teens in Regina High School claimed that if given the chance, they would attempt suicide ("Teen 1"). If eight percent claimed this in 1978, since statistics have more than tripled since the 1970's, it is to be estimated that almost 30% of teens would claim the same thing today. It has also been found that nine out of ten teens commit suicide in their own homes ("Teen" 1). It has been estimated that 53% of young adults that commit suicide abused some kind of substance in their life, legal or illegal ("Let's" 1).
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, only beaten by car accidents ("Teenage" 1). For individuals aged fifteen to twenty-four, suicide is found to be the third leading cause of death ("Teenage" 1). For every successful suicide, fifty to one hundred other teens attempt suicide ("Teenage" 1). As for homosexual teens, suicide is the number one cause of death ("Young" 2). Teens that are gay or bisexual also have the highest risk for attempting to commit suicide ("Young" 2).