The demands of adolescence can place teenagers at greater risk for suicide. They may feel overwhelmed by their problems and believe there is no way out.
They may be unable to cope with depression or have other psychiatric symptoms that can include hallucinations, delusions and excessive preoccupation with ideas (obsessions). They also might have access to lethal weapons or drugs.
Preventing Youth Suicide
Suicide prevention requires the active participation of parents, school staff, friends, coaches and extracurricular activity leaders, community members, healthcare providers and others. Youth who are contemplating suicide often give warning signs that they need help. People should not take these warnings lightly, and they should never promise to keep the problem secret. They should learn to recognize the signs, and they should know how and where to seek professional assistance.
Psychiatric illnesses that increase the risk of suicide often have their onset in adolescence, including schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Some of these illnesses are responsive to treatment, so early diagnosis is critical.
Social inequity may also increase the suicide risk of some youths. A large body of research has demonstrated causal links between poverty and suicide risk in adults, and some researchers are exploring labor market policies to reduce household financial deprivation as a way of reducing suicide risk among teens.
Preventing Suicide Attempts
FACT: Threats of suicide should be taken seriously, regardless of whether they are made directly or indirectly. People who talk about or threaten suicide may take steps to prepare, such as cleaning out their belongings, giving away their treasured items, and writing a will. They may also make arrangements like saying goodbye to friends and family members. They may also start drinking and taking drugs to lower their inhibitions.
Research has shown that suicide attempts are more likely when there is easy access to lethal means. For this reason, restricting the physical availability of suicide methods is important, including education and advocacy.
Research has found that young people who are considering suicide usually tell others about their thoughts. This includes school peers, friends and even parents. It is not unusual for a young person to say they are planning to kill themselves and then change their mind. This is why it’s important to have toll-free lines and resources available for support.
Detecting Suicide Attempts
Suicide attempts can be difficult to detect as they are often impulsive and hidden from others. Youth in a state of adolescence are constantly under stress from many domains of life, often due to relationship conflicts. This may lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, making suicide appear as an answer.
People who talk about or make threats of suicide should be taken seriously. They must be supported and offered professional help. This support can be provided by parents, relatives, teachers, school counselors, coaches and extracurricular activity leaders, community health workers and neighbors.
A number of mental disorders have been associated with an increased risk for suicide. For example, a person with schizophrenia may hear voices that direct them to kill themselves (auditory hallucinations). Other psychiatric conditions like major depression or anorexia nervosa also carry significant risks for suicide. Research shows that people with these conditions are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than those without them.
Treatment
There are a number of psychotherapeutic and prevention strategies with proven benefits that can be used to help prevent suicide in youth. These include family therapy for depressed and suicidal teens designed to improve communication, perspective taking and problem-solving in the family; a psychotherapy treatment known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); and a program called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) which uses reconditioning training to teach youth coping skills.
Many youth suicides are linked to major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa and depression. Symptoms of these conditions may first manifest in adolescence, such as auditory hallucinations (hearing voices) or delusions (believing that one’s death would relieve others’ suffering).
Other risk factors in youth suicide are related to important life events such as school-related problems, relationship breakdowns and changes in family structure. These are often combined with poor coping and emotion regulation abilities. Drug abuse and alcohol use are also common among at-risk youths who attempt suicide.