Suicide Awareness Essays - Suicide, Abnormal Psychology, Depression

Suicide Awareness Suicide Awareness Suicide ranks as a leading cause of death but by knowing and understanding symptoms and causes suicide can be prevented. Suicide is an intentional attempt to kill oneself whether it is successful or unsuccessful. Suicide accounts for about one percent of all deaths in the United States each year (Disease, Condition or General Health Topic). During the last two decades suicide rates among teenagers has increased three hundred percent (Coleman 1). Suicide attempts far outnumber actual suicides (Disease, Condition or General Health Topic). Every ninety minutes a teenager in the United States commits suicide and every nine minutes a teenager attempts suicide. About one hundred and twenty-five adolescents commit suicide in one week and one thousand will try during that week (Coleman 1). More girls will attempt suicide than boys, but more boys will commit suicide than girls (2). Every year 30,000 Americans will commit suicide (All About Suicide). Because they are likely to suffer from a mental illness, particularly severe depression (Suicide). Depression is one of the most treatable mental disorders, and one of the under diagnosed and under recognized. This is a serious mood disorder that affects a persons ability to function in everyday activities. It affects how that person works, family life, and social life (All About Suicide). Suicidal behaviors occur as a response to a situation that the person views as overwhelming (Disease, Condition or General Health Topic). Someone who is profoundly depressed, the option of suicide becomes the only option, the only way to control life and end the unremitting pain (Leone 71). One of the scariest experiences a person suffers from in their lifetime is the experience of depression. More than one out of five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime and one out of twenty Americans have a depression disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and serious mental health problems facing individuals today (All About Suicide). There are two main threads of suicide. The social or institutional suicide and individual or personal suicide (Farberow 1). Institutional suicide is self-destruction that society demands of the individual as part of his identification with the group (1). Personal suicide is an individual act of protest or declaration against internal conflicts with himself or herself or transgressions against society (2). The motives were preservation of honor and dignity, expiation of pusillanimity or cowardice, avoidance of pain and ignominy by old age and/or disease, preservation of chasity, escape from personal disgrace by falling into the hands of the enemy, unwillingness to bear the hurt of separation or loss of love and others (Farberow 2). Lack of social support appears to be something that provokes adolescents to feel hopelessness, depressed, and unworthy (Borst 74). During high school one out of every ten students experiences some form of serve depression. Recent surveys have shown that about sixty percent of all high school students thought about killing themselves or about his or her own death (Leone 71). More than ninety percent of all suicides are related to an emotional or psychiatric illness (Disease, Condition or General Health Topic). Certain aspects will increase the chance of that person attempting suicide. The best predictor of suicidal intent is hopelessness. People with a sense of hopelessness perceive suicide as the only alternative. Those diagnosed with mental illnesses makeup about ninety percent of all suicides. Physical illness also increases an individuals risk of suicide, especially when it is accompanied by depression (Suicide). Other risk factors include previous suicide attempts, a history of suicide among family members, and social isolation. People who live alone or lack close friends may not receive emotional support that would otherwise protect them from despair and irrational thinking during difficult periods of life (Suicide). Suicidal behaviors imply that an individual wishes, intends or actually attempts suicide (Disease, Condition or General Health Topic). Suicidal behavior is viewed as a form of communication, also known as a cry for help (Results for suicide). Scientists agree that suicide is a complex behavior that has psychological, biological, and social causes (Suicide). Each risk factor biological, psychological, cognitive, and environmental of the suicide trajectory contains elements that transcend all ages. The biological basis of depression is age- irrelevant. It is associated with low levels of several neurotransmitters, serotonin metabolite and dopamine metabolite. These influence suicidal behavior, also depression. Some people become depressed with little or no environmental pressures. Another factor of suicide of all ages is maleness, throughout history and cultures. Males are more aggressive than females from birth. Also