Whether you’re a parent, teacher or friend, it’s important to recognize the warning signs of youth suicide. If you see or hear these signs, you can help your child or teen get the care and support they need.
Youth suicide is a complex problem that involves many different factors. It’s also a very personal issue.
Stressors
Teenagers face a variety of stressors, including academic pressures and new interpersonal relationships. These can cause distress and increase risk of suicide.
In addition, social and economic problems can contribute to stress. For example, a lack of support from family and friends can make teens feel isolated.
Research has shown that adolescents who are prone to stressors such as bullying, adversity, and disciplinary trouble have more risk of suicide than their peers. These stressors also can lead to other types of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
Mental Health Issues
Young people (age ranges 7-20 years) are by nature very vulnerable to mental health problems. They confront many domains, new experiences and challenges on a daily basis.
Suicide is one of the most serious mental health issues, which causes direct loss of life and also a great deal of social and economic disruption in society.
Adolescence, the period of transitions, changes and confrontation with new and ever-changing challenges, is a major risk factor for suicide.
In addition to mental and behavioral disorders, other factors have been linked to a higher risk of suicide among adolescents, such as school problems and academic stress. Bullying and cyber bullying are another important risk factor.
Relationships
Having a positive relationship with other people is essential for emotional health. These relationships include family relationships, friendships, acquaintanceships and romantic relationships.
The type of relationships that a person has can have a strong impact on their mental health and suicide risk. Having too many toxic or codependent relationships, for example, can cause mental distress and increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Loss of a close relationship can also lead to feelings of worthlessness, disgrace, and burdensomeness, which can increase the risk of suicide attempts. For example, the loss of a parent or a friend can make a person feel like they do not matter and that they are a burden on others.
Family Issues
Family issues can be a big part of youth suicide. These can range from simple challenges like clashing personalities, or more complicated ones like having a narcissistic parent, intergenerational trauma, or abuse.
A new study found that many teens who made suicide attempts had family issues like parental conflict and a difficult home environment. Other factors, such as superstitious beliefs, financial issues, and disturbed neighborhoods, also contributed to their behavior.
The report suggests that families should work closely together to address these issues. This could help prevent suicide in the future. It’s also important to talk about these things with your child, and to be available if they need support.
Environment
When it comes to youth suicide, the environment is everything that surrounds a young person. It includes their family, friends and school.
In adolescence, youth are faced with rapid physical growth; conflicts between their own values and those of peers; emotional and sexual intimacy with the opposite sex; and uncertainty about their future careers.
During this phase of their lives, youth are more vulnerable to suicide than older people are. This is because they are more suggestible and more prone to learning by imitation.
Adolescents who feel loved and supported by their parents and community are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like bullying, substance use and suicide. Interventions that enhance social connectedness in schools have been found to reduce these risk factors.