Children and teenagers who are bullied, have family or friends that they do not get along with or are struggling in school are at a higher risk of suicide. Mental health problems and substance use increase the risk as well.
Studies have shown that prevention efforts need to target all youth at risk. These strategies include teaching coping and problem-solving skills, fostering connections, and limiting access to lethal means of self-harm.
Depression
Depression is a common factor in youth suicide. It is important to treat depression with medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy).
Many teens who take their own lives have had a history of depression. It is also important to recognize warning signs of depression in adolescents and get them help.
Other risk factors for suicide include family problems, like conflict or violence between parents and children, and poor communication within the family. Problems at school, including academic pressures and bullying, are also a factor. So is sexual or gender identity issues, such as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Some teenagers who feel overwhelmed by these stressors seek relief through drugs or alcohol, which can cause serious psychological or psychiatric symptoms and even death. These youth may also write suicide notes or use lethal means of self-harm.
Anxiety
A new study suggests that social anxiety is another factor in youth suicide. The research was published in World Psychiatry, the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association.
In adolescence, children and teens are establishing their identity, building relationships and developing confidence in themselves. However, this can also be a time of intense stress and loss. For example, the suicide of a close friend or relative, rejection from peers and relationship problems have been found to be associated with increased risk for suicide in adolescents.
It’s important to err on the side of safety and caution. If a child or teen shows signs of being sad, withdrawn, irritable or apathetic—or makes changes to things they used to find fun—it’s worth checking on them. This can include talking to them, getting a mental health evaluation and making sure they don’t have access to lethal objects.
Grief
Grief is a complicated and personal process that can last for years. It’s often accompanied by intense emotional pain that interferes with daily functioning, and feelings of sadness, loneliness and hopelessness. Many people find that they can’t concentrate at work or school and have trouble thinking (memory, organization and intellectual processing).
Adolescents bereaved by suicide are at a much higher risk of mental health problems and suicidal behaviour than those bereaved from other external causes, such as accidents and illnesses. This can be compounded by a sense of social isolation and disconnection from peers.
Young people who are struggling with depression and suicidal feelings need to be assessed by a mental health clinician. They also need to be told that they are not alone and that help is available.
Isolation
Suicide among young people may also be triggered by an imitation of the behavior of other youngsters, a phenomenon referred to as contagion. The occurrence of such an effect can be caused by mass media reporting and the presence of peers who are already at risk for suicide.
Another factor that may increase the onset of suicide is the lack of community support. This can be a result of family dissolution, remarriage and other changes in the structure of a youth’s social network. It can also be a consequence of an intolerable amount of stress beyond the coping capabilities of a youth.
Multiple actions must be taken in the fight against isolation as a factor contributing to suicide. They include fostering a strong sense of belonging in work environments, providing intensive support during the periods when this sense is threatened (in occupations facilitating isolation and during unemployment) and limiting access to means for committing suicide.
Violence
Many youth suicides involve violence, such as homicide and self-harm. Teens may try to use drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medication or express their rage by fighting. Violence can also be a result of family, school and peer conflict, especially when these conflicts involve sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Many of these risk factors may be interrelated, and research suggests that the likelihood of a youth suicide increases with each additional factor. Other factors may include: the presence of a mental health disorder; a history of previous suicide attempts; the existence of a firearm; and the presence of bullying or a negative environment that a teen feels they cannot escape. Increasingly, teenagers are expressing concerns about their personal safety because of increased racial tension and the prevalence of police shootings of Black teens.