Being a young person in today's world is no easy task. Young people, as well as adults, have to deal with increasingly complex decisions and pressures every day. Unfortunately, many teenagers feel that they are not able to handle their problems, and that there is no one who either cares enough or is able to help them cope. The suicide attempt made by Karen is a perfect example. .
Suicide among young people nationwide has increased dramatically in recent years. It is the second leading cause of death between fifteen and twenty-four year olds. It is not a topic widely discussed by many teenagers. When a person commits suicide, they are killing themselves intentionally (Dead End 14). Each year in he United States, thousands of teens commit suicide. Statistics show that approximately one teen attempts suicide every ninety seconds and a teen is successful at committing suicide every ninety minutes (Youth Suicide 10). .
Many suicides can be confused with accidental deaths. Studies have shown that as many as seven thousand teens complete suicide each year, while an additional four-hundred-thousand attempt to commit suicide, but are unsuccessful (Youth Suicide 11). Less than twenty-five percent of people who complete suicide leave a note. Police officers sometimes report fatal one-car crashes as "autocides" when they believe the teen used the car as a weapon to kill themselves. The estimated number may be as high as five-hundred-thousand a year due to the suicide attempts that are unreported, or reported as accidents (Teen Suicide 15). While females attempt suicide more often than males, at a rate of four to one, males are more often successful (Teen Suicide 15-16).
Suicide has been going on for centuries, perhaps for as long as women and men have been on earth. Some religions have thought of suicide as a way of doing penance. An example would be when Judas Iscariot hanged himself with a halter after he had betrayed Christ.