Teen Suicide

9 Pages 2168 Words

According to Dr. Phil Devons a psychiatrist affiliated with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, suicide among young people nationwide has increased dramatically in recent years. Each year in the United States, thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds, and the sixth leading cause of death for 5 to 14 year olds.

I have worked as a counselor for fourteen years, two years on the high school level, two years on the middle school level, and ten years on the elementary level. In all my years of servicing youth and teenagers, I have come to realize that not only adults, but teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainly, and other fears while growing up. For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, or moving to a new community can be very unsettling and can intensify self-doubt. For some teens, suicide may appear to be a solution to their problems and stress.

In working with troubled teens, I have learned that depression and suicidal feelings are treatable mental disorders. This treatment is possible if the symptoms are recognized, diagnosed, and the appropriate plans are put in place to begin the treatment. It is necessary that a psychiatric examination be done if a parent is in doubt and she notices drastic mood changes and serious problems. The students I have worked with came from several social backgrounds. Some students had two parent households and financially stable. Some students had one parent households, female or male, some students were being raised by their grandparents, some by uncles or aunts, some by siblings and some by foster parents. In all of these families, no matter what the make up or support system was, there was a failure in the process of the child’s development. Each child I had the privilege to...