Sticks and stones may break my bones; but words can be killers too.
The top reasons why teens commit suicide during their high school years.
One of the most common mental health disorders among teens in the United States is depression. Leading not only to other health disorders, but to suicidal tendencies as well.
The number one reason teenagers commit suicide, or suffer from depression, is bullying. Because of the internet, nowadays cyber bullying is a prominent threat and as a teenager myself I can tell you, words do hurt, especially from a person (not necessarily across the globe) but from someone you don't know. The internet allows people to leave anonymous messages that leave lasting imprints in our minds. The views of other people looking at us causes self image issues, which can then lead to self harm, and suicide.
The second leading cause of suicide is abuse. Abuse comes in multiple forms, but the most common being sexual and physical abuse. Teens experience sexual abuse in ways that many people don't even know. In high school, people, girls especially, get harassed for what society deems as little; such as a cat call or a boy hitting a girl on the butt. It may seem small, but when it leads to a girl or boy being assaulted or raped, everything is brought to the surface.
Sexual abuse isn't the only type of abuse, physical abuse is as much, if not more common than sexual. Physical abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. In many households across the states, teens are being submitted to physical abuse. Teens, and kids alike don't deserve to be hit or kicked by an adult, in any situation ever. Just because a teenager does something wrong, it doesn't call for an adult, their PARENTS to hit them. I'm not saying a parent can't discipline their child. But when it gets to the extent that children have to cover up their bodies to hide the bruises is when it becomes too much. Teenagers shouldn't have to worry about school, socializing, and then be afraid to go home at night. This leads to one of the highest rates of teen runaways as well as suicide.
The third cause of depression is terminal illnesses. Many people don't agree that people who have cancer or another terminal disease should give up hope that they can live. Some people don't want to fight, they give up and are prepared to die. Teenagers don't understand that there is so much to life that they would miss, so they refuse to fight and die as a result. Some are just scared that since, hey here's life altering news that you could die in two years, that they won't even have a chance and commit suicide to make everyone's life around them easier.
To most people suicide and depression are senile things, it's not a major world issue so they don't need to worry about it. But trust me, to those three kids in your daughter's literature class, depression is a real thing, and waiting to try to help until after they are gone is useless. September is national suicide awareness month, so let's raise that awareness, these kids deserve a chance to live a long, healthy life.
