Suicide is the act of intentionally killing oneself. It is an escape from life and is often regarded as a cry for help. It is a weakness that is brought out in a person when they feel as if they have no one to turn to. Suicide is not the correct choice that should be made. Signs and symptoms, reasoning and causes, ways to help and prevent, statistics, and different issues will be discussed in the essay.
Prior to feeling suicidal, people would feel stressed. They would most likely fall into a depression. Unlike adults, who tend to "act very sad," when they are depressed teenagers "act out."(Ayers, 56) In this way, they may take dangerous reckless risks. This does not mean that teens considering suicide are necessarily mentally disturbed. In fact, the majority of individuals who commit suicide do not have a diagnosable mental illness. They are people just like you and I who at a particular time are feeling isolated, desperately unhappy and alone. (Hyde, 87) At the same time, when they feel this way, they show some "typical" warning signs, which often "exhibited by people" are given when they are at such stages. (Portner, 32) They may withdraw from friends and family, show loss of interest in things they enjoyed, signs of sadness, changes in appetite, weight and behavior, make negative comments about self, or even display a sudden change from depression to being peaceful or "clearing the air" over "past personal incidents" (Quinnett, 87-88).
Teens may attempt suicide to "block unbearable emotional pain, which is caused by a variety of problems (Quinnett, 105). Some of the risk factors that may contribute to a person feeling suicidal may include: the breakup of family such as a divorce of parents or of boyfriend/girlfriend. It can be due to the death of a loved one, loss of self-esteem, their financial position or employment. The person could have been abused physically or emotionally, or even neglected as a child.
