Teen Suicide
Every ninety minutes, another adolescent in the United States ends his life. The second leading cause of death for teens, suicide accounts for 6,000 adolescent deaths each year, a 200% increase from 30 years ago. Even these high statistics exclude the many suicides that are hidden, or reported as accidents, due to fear and shame.
Sex Differences: For every adolescent who kills himself, 200 others attempt suicide. Females make four times more attempts than males. However, of the teens who do complete suicide, males outnumber females 3 to I.
Two thirds of male suicides are committed with guns, while historically, most women have taken pills when attempting suicide. Recently, however, females have become increasingly violent in their attempts; guns are now used in one third of all female suicides.
CAUSES OF SUICIDE:
Although the causes of teen suicide are many and varied, their increase can usually be linked to changes in society. The decline of family unity is often a factor in adolescent suicide. Separation of parents, two-career families and increased family mobility leave parents with less attention to give their children. Ninety percent of suicidal teenagers feel misunderstood by their parents.
Teens are also under stress from competition. They worry about doing well in school and being able to find a good job when they graduate. Parents sometimes force their teenagers to strive for unattainable goals to compensate for their own adolescent failures.
Not all suicidal adolescents have disjointed home lives and impossible goals set for them. Many of them form stable relationships at home and school, and set reasonable objectives for their lives. But when they become depressed they still feel they have nowhere to turn for help.
The increasingly violent climate of our world has also emerged as a factor in suicide. The constant threat of nuclear war fosters a growing sense of hopelessness and teens may choose suicide as an option to what they see as a bleak future.
Many suicides are caused by depression, some linked to alcohol and drug abuse. But another, less visible cause of teen suicide is the sensationalized media coverage it usually receives. A rash of copycat incidents often occurs after media reports or an adolescent suicide. Recent studies show that suicide stories written in clinical terms or emphasizing the effect on friends and family members reduces this contagion effect.
WHO COMMITS SUICIDE?
Adolescents who attempt suicide seem to fall into one of three groups:
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Teens who have trouble with the law or show other signs or antisocial behavior, drug or alcohol abuse:
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Teens who repress their feelings and do not feel comfortable discussing their problems with others;
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Extreme perfectionists who are socially inhibited and feel exaggerated anxiety in the face of challenge.
The shock of losing someone close, especially a young person, prevents many people from looking beyond the immediate event to the message behind it. But suicide communicates a desperate message: that life seems unbearable and suicide the only available exit.
Suicide is not an impulsive action. It is the result of much forethought and preparation, and is often preceded by many clues.
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Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are a silent addiction hidden behind a wall of secrecy and shame. An estimated 60 million Americans - 10 -15% of the population - are afflicted with food disorders such as...
- Anorexia Nervosa: Willful starvation and excessive exercise In pursuit of perfect thinness. Anorexics believe if they can control their weight, they will also gain control over other parts of their lives.
- Bulimia: Uncontrollable eating followed by purging, either by vomiting, laxatives, or diuretics. Bulimics purge physically in an attempt to purge unacceptable feelings such as anger, loneliness and depression.
- Obesity: Compulsive overeating in an attempt to fill an emotional void. Overeaters use food to tranquilize their feelings, especially anger.
Like other addictive illnesses, an eating disorder is a family problem. Family members become frustrated, angry and alienated from the afflicted family member. Embarrassed by the disorder, they too often deny the problem. To cure an eating disorder, families must face the problem realistically; lovingly confront the food abuser; and give them continued emotional support during their treatment.
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Alcoholism
Why Drink? Happy hour drinks after work, a glass of wine with dinner, or a beer while watching the football game are so much a part of American life that we rarely stop to examine our drinking behavior.
People drink for a variety of reasons...
- as a coping mechanism to relieve daily tensions or worries such as loneliness, marital problems, job stress, or illness
- as a substitute for satisfying personal relationships, challenging work, or self-fulfillment
- to compensate for feelings of guilt, shyness, or low self-esteem
- for social/career reasons - many people believe that cocktail parties and business meals with drinks are necessary.
Social drinking turns to alcoholism when it becomes a primary coping mechanism for dealing with life. The alcoholic relies on the effects of drinking to get through day-to-day living; eventually, he becomes physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol, unable to function without it.
Did You Know? Alcohol is the most widely used and frequently fatal drug used in America today. It is the 3rd biggest killer in the U.S., just behind heart disease and cancer, and the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 24.
Alcoholism is a factor in -
- 40% of all suicide attempts
- 50% of all traffic accidents
- 54% of all violent crimes
- 60% of emergency room admission
- 80% of domestic violence incidents
Treating alcoholism is not the problem - Identifying alcoholics and getting them to accept treatment is.
Alcoholism is our most untreated, treatable disease: 35 out of 36 alcoholics never receive treatment.
Employers can be especially effective in convincing alcoholics to seek treatment. 95% of all alcoholics are employed, 45% of them in management positions. They value their jobs highly as a sign that they're not alcoholics; the possibility of losing their job is strong motivation to seek treatment.
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Alcoholism is a family disease. Living with an alcoholic creates a family atmosphere of confusion, despair, and instability. family members are typically in as much or more need of assistance as the alcoholic himself. People with an alcoholic parent are 4 to 5 times more likely to become alcoholic themselves.
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Alcoholics Anonymous and affiliated support groups work. People who attend AA meetings are far more likely to maintain sobriety than those who attempt to "do it on their own." Alateen, Al-Anon, Adult Children of Alcoholics, & Alatot offer programs for family members.
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