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Lucille Reed

English Composition 1201

Professor Loudermilk

11 March 2020

Literature Review

In today’s modern world, almost everyone knows someone who has committed, or at

least attempted, suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death nearly everywhere, but certain

demographics are more affected than others. I want to know why there has been an

unprecedented amount of young men and boys committing suicide recently.

Historically, suicide has been viewed in a very differently from the way it is seen and

addressed today. Most Greek philosophers believed suicide was a cowardly and disgraceful

thing, as each individual owed it to their peers to carry out their role in the society. Other Greek

thinkers thought there were exceptions for suicide when it was acceptable. Christians believed it

was sin and a denial of God to throw away his gift of life, although Protestant Reformers

considered God to be more forgiving of suicide. As the Enlightenment era rolled in, thinkers

were inclined to treat suicide as a personal liberty or choice. This school of thought was

abandoned when a rise of psychiatry led to the idea that suicide results from “impersonal social

or psychological forces rather than by the agency of individuals” (Cholbi, Michael).

When an investigation into the reasoning behind suicide is conducted, various research

sources begin to repeat similar ideas after digging through them for a while. Jacob Grandstaff

suggests in his article on screen time that new cultural norms like modern technology and social

media are contributors to the worsening of male teen suicide. In Grandstaff’s article, first

published in 2017 in The Washington Examiner, he informs the reader of the harmful effects of
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dependence on electronics. A repetitive theme that surfaces in many sources is confusion as to

why the victim committed suicide when they seemed perfectly normal before their death. Max

Kutner’s magazine article about the teen suicides in the Colorado Springs region highlights how

the families of the victims were astonished that their apparently happy child was really harboring

feelings of depression and hopelessness. Kutner is a reliable journalist with affiliations with

several high-profile news outlets. Tchin Darré establishes another widely held view on the topic

in his study of suicidal thoughts and attempts in young adults in Lomé, Togo. The idea is that

“the most common reasons for suicide ideation and attempts are sentimental and academic

difficulties” (Darré). Darré’s information from the experiment has potential to be faulty due to

the short time period it was conducted in, the questionable authenticity of the test subjects, and

the small size of the sample. However, other studies do propose that trouble in school is known

to correlate with suicide attempts (Kutner).

As discussed before, instances where teens are urged to commit suicide when their peers

do can result in a suicide cluster (Kutner). In “Teen Suicide is Contagious,” Kutner includes

information from Richard Liebermann, a consultant at the Los Angeles County Office of

Education. Lieberman explains that for a teen to commit suicide, it is likely that multiple, smaller

stressors build up, until one major event tips the teen over the edge (Kutner). This major event

could be the suicide of a peer, or something else.

Some studies have proven that a main contributor could be teens’ sexual activity, as

studies have found that teens that are sexually active are more likely to commit suicide than non-

sexually active teens (Rector et al). Teens admit that they felt less happy after becoming sexually

active than they were before, which effects their mental health in a major way. Rector, a senior
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research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, concludes that these findings should be used to teach

teens that sexual activity can cause depression.

Several other helpful sources came from the search for answers. “Teens, Social Media, &

Technology 2018” is an article put together by Monica Anderson and Jingjing Jiang at the Pew

Research Center. The article discusses the trends of social media use and its impact in teens. A

source with insight on an interesting viewpoint is “Era of the manly man returns,” an interview

between Brian Naylor of National Public Radio and Alfred Lubrano, a writer for the Philadelphia

Inquirer. In the interview, Lubrano discusses his opinions on masculinity and its effects.

“Firearms Commerce in the United States: Annual Statistical Update 2019” is a government

organized report that discusses firearm production and sales. Pew Research Center has another

good resource, this one is titled “How male and female gun owners in the U.S. compare” by

Juliana Horowitz. It contains facts on the gender differences in gun ownership statistics. Mary

Ellen O’Connell’s article entitled “Underage drinking” resides in Issues in Science and

Technology. Its contents are mainly data and statistics, providing some great graphs and tables on

teen drinking. Perhaps one of the most telling articles is by Helene Schumacher, entitled “Why

more men than women die by suicide.” It goes through several factors that can contribute to the

high numbers of male suicide. The next source is by Letitia L. Star. “Gay Teen Suicide is

Common” has several facts about how differing sexualities affect depression and suicide. One

amazing source with credible facts is “Suicide Statistics” from the American Foundation for

Suicide Prevention. It has interactive charts and graphs along with clear information. The

National Institute of Mental Health also has a good article titled “Suicide” that runs along the

same lines of “Suicide Statistics.”

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So why are these young men committing suicide? Social media could be the main factor,

as it is a recent development that would correlate with the recent rise in suicide rates. Peer

influence might be the main instigator when a teen is contemplating suicide. The relationship

between sexual activity and teen suicide is a probable cause, too. Even academic struggles could

be what makes teens feel like they have no option left but suicide. All in all, it is highly likely

that there is a collection of elements that lead to suicide in teens, especially the young men.
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Works Cited

Anderson, Monica and Jingjing Jiang. “Teens, Social Media, & Technology 2018.” Pew

Research Center, Pew Research Center, 31 May 2018,

www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/.

Accessed 24 March 2020.

Cholbi, Michael. “Suicide.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N.

Zalta, Fall 2017 ed., Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2017, Chapter 2.

“Suicide.” https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/suicide/#Bib.

Darré, Tchin, et al. "Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in subjects aged 15-19 in Lomé

(Togo)." BMC Research Notes, vol. 12, no. 1, 2019, Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A581341096/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=1

5d7edb7. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

“Era of the manly man returns.” Weekend Edition Sunday, 11 July 2004. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A162007449/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=7

aae91df. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“Firearms Commerce in the United States: Annual Statistical Update 2019.” United States

Department of Justice: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 2019,

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/2019-firearms-commerce-report/download.

Accessed 24 March 2020.

Gramlich, John. “What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, Pew

Research Center, 16 August 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-

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tank/2019/08/16/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/. Accessed 24 March

2020.

Grandstaff, Jacob. "Excessive Screen Time Contributes to Suicide-Related Outcomes in

Teens." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/AVMCWT471532885/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC

&xid=132e6807. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

Horowitz, Juliana Menasce. “How male and female gun owners in the U.S. compare.” Pew

Research Center, Pew Research Center, 29 June 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-

tank/2017/06/29/how-male-and-female-gun-owners-in-the-u-s-compare/. Accessed 24

March 2020.

Horsely, Scott. “Guns in America, By the Numbers.” National Public Radio, National Public

Radio, 5 January 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/01/05/462017461/guns-in-america-by-

the-numbers. Accessed 24 March 2020.

Kutner, Max. "Teen Suicide Is Contagious, and the Problem May Be Worse Than We Thought;

More than two dozen kids in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado, have killed

themselves in less than two years. The main reason: Another kid did it first." Newsweek,

vol. 167, no. 16, 28 Oct. 2016. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A467695679/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=c

321bf. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

O'Connell, Mary Ellen. "Underage drinking." Issues in Science and Technology, vol. 21, no. 2,

2005, p. 82+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-

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com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A128977617/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=5

a5218e2. Accessed 24 Mar. 2020.

Rector, Robert E., et al. "Teens' Sexual Activity Can Lead to Depression and Suicide

Attempts." Teen Sex, edited by Christine Watkins, Greenhaven Press, 2005. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010191226/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=

4351bb11. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

Schumacher, Helene. “Why more men than women die by suicide.” BBC Future, British

Broadcasting Channel, 17 March 2019, www.bbc.com/future/article/20190313-why-

more-men-kill-themselves-than-women. Accessed 24 March 2020.

Star, Letitia L. “Gay Teen Suicide Is Common.” America's Youth, edited by Jamuna Carroll,

Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010300252/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=

5c165449. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“Suicide.” National Institute of Mental Health, April 2019,

www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml, Accessed 24 March 2020.

“Suicide Statistics.” American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Foundation for

Suicide Prevention, 2018, https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/. Accessed 24

March 2020.