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Teenager Suicide - A Silent Crisis
Teenager Suicide - A Silent Crisis
Suicide – A lifelong solution to momentary problems. Most teenagers who shared this
thought had taken their lives, in longing for eternal relief of all their problems. According to
USA alone. Owing to social media and cyberbullying, teenage suicide is becoming a
prevalent problem, which will turn rampant if not helped through several viable solutions.
teenage suicide. Through social media, a teen’s everyday activities are subjected to people’s
judgmental and harsh comments, known as cyberbullying. Due to a teenager's fragile mental
health condition, they are vulnerable to developing depression. A research in 2011 found that
(National Centre for Educational Statistics [NCES], as cited in Megan Meier Foundation,
n.d.). Cyberbullying victims, who are constantly harassed and humiliated, tend to have lower
self-esteem and feel dejected, which then evolve to suicidal thoughts. Among adolescents,
cyberbullying victims were 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Hinduja
Owning to the 7 hours that adolescent spend in school a day on average, school
personnel play a huge role in preventing teenage suicide (“The Malaysian Education System”,
2018). Firstly, academic staff should be trained to detect warning signs such as fatigue,
with others can reduce the risk of depression. Then, the school can inform the teenager's
parents and collaborate with them to help the teen. A more severe case of depression should
be handled by trained nurses from the school’s mental health services. Schools with
professional mental health services have reported fewer cases of depression and decreased
suicide rates (Solimanpour, Geierstanger, McCarter, & Brindis, 2011) . Next, the school's
Suicide Prevention Committee should collaborate with National Teen Support Groups to
raise awareness among students by hosting talks and discussions about suicide. With this
knowledge, teenagers are warier of their behaviour and know when to seek help from
professionals.
Having forged the closest relationship with a teenager, parents and friends play
crucial roles in preventing youthful suicide. Firstly, parents should get involved in more
activities with their teens, such as family vacations, as to let them open up and express their
emotions more comfortably (Vijaindren, 2018; King, Foster, & Rogalski, 2013 ). As a result,
teens can release pent-up negative thoughts, which is the main cause of depression.
Teenagers can also get expert opinions on how to handle certain situations from their parents,
who have gone through many years of experience. Besides family members, friends also
provide additional support to adolescents. Some teenagers may feel more easy-going among
friends and are more likely to confide in them rather than family members. Research shows
that 90% of adolescents confess their stress to peers rather than professionals (Deane, Wilson,
& Ciarrochi, 2001). A good friend might be able to pick up suicidal warning signs from peers.
For instance, a teen might talk about death and self-harm in front of friends, or start to take
big risks such as car speeding (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], n.d.). A less
obvious sign would be a sudden sense of calmness, after being depressed for a period of time
(Smith, Segal, &Robinson, 2018). This indicates that a teen has already decided to take his
life. Friends can support a teenager by constantly being by their side and listen to them when
they feel emotionally unstable (Nordqvist, 2018). Organising frequent outings are also
detrimental depression symptoms, which, if not helped by a third party, escalates into suicidal
thoughts. In schools, increased awareness coupled with proficient personnel and ever-ready
mental health care services can intervene with a suicidal adolescent. Family and friends also
play an important role in preventing suicide in teens because they serve as the main source of
mental support for a teenager. With the joint effort of concerned family, friends and
Berman, A.L., Jobes, D. A., &Silverman, M .M .(2006). Adolescent Suicide Assessment and
Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2001). Suicidal ideation and help‐negation: Not
just hopelessness or prior help. Journal of clinical psychology. 57(7), pp. 901-914.
Hinduja, S.,& Patchin, J.W. (2009). Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and
King, C.A., Foster, C.E., & Rogalski, K.M. (2013). Teen Suicide Risk: A Practitioner Guide
to Screening, Assessment, and Management. New York, US: The Guilford Press.
Megan Meier Foundation. (n.d.). Cyberbullying and Social Media. Retrieved from
https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/cyberbullying-social-media.html
National Center for Injury and Prevention and Control (WISQARS). (2016). 10 leading
injury/images/lccharts/leading_causes_of_death_age_group_2016_1056w814h.gif
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/
index.shtml#part_153177
Nordqvist, C. (2018, February 13). What are suicidal thoughts?. Medical News Today.
193026.
Smith, M.M.A ., Segal,J., &Robinson , L.(2018). Suicide Prevention:How to Help Someone
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention.htm
Soleimanpour , S., Geierstanger , S. P.,Kaller,S., McCarter, V., & Brindis,C.D.( 2011) .The
role of school health centers in health care access and client outcomes. Am J Public
english/Malaysia/Malaysia-Guide/Education/Introduction
Vijaindren ,A.(2018,January 7). Preventing teen suicide in era of social media. New
/2018/01/322455/ preventing-teen-suicide-era-social-media