1 1

CSEC ENGLISH SCHOOL BASED

ASSESSMENT

CAUSES OF SUICIDE IN TEENS

Mental Illnesses

Ciara Clarke
********
September **, 2022
Port Maria High and Preparatory School
Jamaica
Ms. Heartley

1
1 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Plan Of Investigation 1

Piece 1 2

Piece 2 3

1
1 3

Piece 3 4

Reflection 1 5

Reflection 2 6

Reflection 3 7

Written Report 8

Plan of Oral Presentation 9

References 10

PLAN OF INVESTIGATION

I chose this topic of ‘How Mental illnesses lead teens to Suicide’ because it’s the base of most

suicide cases within ages twelve - seventeen. Teens can develop mental issues from their lives at

home, peer pressure or bullying from fellow students or other forms of negative emotions that

1
1 4

stem from the problems they have with life. When this project is completed, I expect myself to

be better at oral presentations and not make mistakes with my grammar. I intend to obtain

relevant information from books and online websites that give deep dives on suicide and mental

illnesses in teenagers.

PIECE #1 – News Article

Bethlehem, Connecticut – Emma Wanstall has learned it's OK to ask for help. The 18-year-old

former cheerleader started treatment for her mental health in July after she fell into a deep

depression during the pandemic.

1
1 5

“It got to the point where I overdosed,” she said. “I was planning on going to bed that night and

not waking up in the morning.”

At first, Wanstall struggled opening up to her parents about her mental health, saying she felt like

it would “make the feel they failed as a parent.”

First published on September 23, 2022 / 6:58 PM

2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PIECE #2 – Poem – Teen Suicide by Daya Nandan

Teen Suicide

Laid down in the silence of eternal rest,

No longer a rhythmic beating within her chest

To be released of pain that tormented her life,

1
1 6

She took it upon herself to end it with a knife,

Before she decided to slit her own throat,

She left for her parents, a well written note,

A tale of tragedy that went within her mind,

A search for attention that she could never find,

Tormented and bullied every day at school,

insulted and stepped on, she was considered uncool,

She told her parents but they were too busy to care,

For they were busy earning and saving up money to spare,

Now their rain of tears drop upon her lifeless face,

Their 16-year-old daughter now laid in death's embrace,

Still so young, her life had barely begun,

Another life gone under the earthly sun,

Parents all over the world should open their eyes and see,

That the seed of depression grows faster than a tree,

Her parents now cry endlessly in deep sorrow,

For their deceased daughter who will see no tomorrow,

Parents should give more attention to their children,

Not simply just work and send them to school to learn,

1
1 7

A little love could change what could have been,

A different path of life for this tender young teen.

- Daya Nandan

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Piece #3

1
1 8

Reflection #1

1
1 9

Prior to researching this School Based Assessment, I often felt and saw the same emotions

within fellow teens of ages 12-17. I thought suicide and suicidal tendencies were uncommon

within teens in our society because of how it is looked down upon. I was also unaware of the

idea that someone so young could develop a psychiatric disorder. Even that your family life can

make you feel that way.

I have gained a lot of knowledge on the Mental state of teenagers and how they can be able to

think this way. Each piece I've collected has opened my eyes on the fact that parents play a good

role in the psychological health of their child. A teen being bullied by peers or facing problems

can easily be helped if a parent took the time of day to listen to them, even friends trying along

with you can help achieve such goals. How I view suicide in teens even in general has changed

due to the pieces I have collected; they have shown me how teens going through this are in fact

not selfish but needed help that they couldn’t get soon enough.

1
1 10

Reflection #2

In the first piece, the language technique used was a “narrative voice” type. The writer used

direct quotes from the teenage girl expressing how she felt while suicidal and depressed. This made

the article seem more informative and less biased which was well needed for such a hard topic.

This article is showing a dignified language, it appears more formal and narrative as how a research

paper or formal speech would be.

In piece #2, which is a poem, the author narrates from a “third person” point of view. The poem

whilst having a dramatic tone, showcases the raw feelings of a suicidal teenager, describing how

they feel. Each stanza has a display of rhyming and imageries of her reasons for ending her life,

her parents' reaction to it and how it could have been prevented. This piece portrays a lot of sad

emotive language. It explains how bullying and neglect in the home can easily bring a child to

believe that they should not be here anymore.

Piece three is a simple picture showing a mentally unstable teen girl, symptoms of depression

and how to prevent these things from happening, this display of information is hardly shown and

exposed to young people. This informative image can show young teens that they can receive help

instead of ending their lives. This image can help the young men and women of our age feel

understood and give hope that they will amount from the pain and emptiness. Blinded by the

hopelessness, self-hate and emptiness, a suicidal person might not think there’s a way out, but

1
1 11

suicide prevention photos, posts and videos could change someone’s mind and motivate them to

get help.

Reflection #3

Completing this School Based Assessment has impacted my life in a list of positive ways. I am

now more comfortable in group settings and interacting with my peers. Along with this assessment

I had many others which caused me to manage my time better. My ability to critique and analyze

written information has improved. And I also have noticed my improvement in public speaking.

Most importantly this SBA has shown me that suicide a serious topic which should be considered

a regular topic between me and my parents because my mental health is just as important as my

physical health.

1
1 12

Written Report

This assessment begun with our teacher placing us in groups of 5, where we personally selected

our group leader, the topic and sub-topics that we would be researching. “Causes of Suicide in

Teens” was the topic chosen. Our selected sub-themes are; “Mental Disorders”, “Guilt”, “Family

Structure”, ------. We chose this issue due to it not being talked about a lot in our country.

Suicide and suicidal tendencies in teens are not paid attention to enough because most people in

our society believe that children don’t have any life problems.

The group members did their own individual research and analysis of the concept they chose,

we had small discussions of the assessment with each other.

1
1 13

Plan of Oral Presentation

Topic: How mental Illnesses can drive teens to suicide.

Genre:

Sources:

Language:

1
1 14

References

2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. (“You're not alone”: Suicide attempts among
teen girls increased 50% during pandemic, CDC finds).

PoemHunter.com (Teen Suicide by Daya Nandan).

IMAGE FROM:

https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/vector-medical-poster-depression-vector-
id1169718851?k=20&m=1169718851&s=612x612&w=0&h=zTGI5tI-
mU29sYMyRlAnbp47ppMI7RDI2K6P04XRLNo=

1
1 15

1
1 16

1
1 17

1
1 18

1
1 19

1
1 20

1
1 21

1
1 22