Suicide

Essay by tle8807High School, 12th gradeA, February 2007

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Teen suicides have tremendously grown throughout the last twenty years in the United States. It is important to take the subject of suicide seriously. It does not seem right that a teenager, who has lived for such a short time, would choose to die, but those who can not get over their depression sometimes do. Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged fifteen to twenty-four and the fourth leading cause of death for persons between the ages of ten and fourteen and it seems to be on the rise (Brown). Only accidental deaths and homicide follow it. Some experts believe that many "accidental" deaths are actually suicides.

According to a 1991 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study, twenty-seven percent of high school students thought about suicide, sixteen percent had a plan and eight percent made an attempt to commit suicide (Brown).

Suicide affects teens of all races and social standing. Boys commit suicide more often than girls do. It could be because it's easier to get the tools for suicide, boys usually use firearms and girls often use pills so since the gun is more deadly, boys complete suicide. Over the past fifteen years, the rate among girls has scarcely changed, but the rate among boys has tripled. Also, the rate among non-white males, even though it's still lower than the white male rate, has been rising most quickly of all. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among whites after accidents and the third among blacks after homicides and accidents (Suicide). Teen suicide is now considered a national mental health problem.

The main two causes for teen suicide is the mental disease of depression and family problems. Ninety percent of teen suicide victims have at least one diagnosable, active...