Teen Suicide Awareness 

Suicide is a very serious issue among teens and not everyone is aware of how big of an issue it really is and how important mental health is especially in the teen years.

Action 

I plan to inform my community on how important mental health is and how being aware of suicide can help someone who is thinking of hurting themselves and try help prevent before they do it. Although someone might look happy from the outside you really don't know what is going through there head mentally or in their personal life's.

Research

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year old according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk of suicide increases when their is firearms available, about 60% of all suicides in the United States are committed with a firearm. Each day in the United States there are about 3,470 suicide attempts among teens in grades 9-12.  Suicide rates very among boys and girls. Girls attempt suicide about twice as more than boys but boys are about four more times to be successful in committing suicide. During teen years it is a hard time because you are in between being a teen and an adult. Teens with mental health problems such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and insomnia are at a greater risk in attempting to commit suicide. Teens also going through major life changes such as parents divorcing, moving, and teens who are being bullied at school are at a higher risk for suicidal thoughts. Other risk factors include feelings of distress, feelings of hopelessness, a family history of depression/ suicide, emotion/sexual/physical abuse, lack of a support system, social isolation, and poor relationships with parents or peers. Some warning signs that would help see someone who is thinking of hurting themselves is they have talked about suicide or about death, have lost interest in school/ sports, pulls away from friends/ family, experience change in both eating and sleeping habits, give away stuff they value a lot, give hints that they might not be around anymore, they have trouble concentrating, and engage in risk-taking behaviors. According to "Parent Resource Program", four out of five teens who have attempted suicide have given clear warning signs.

How to help 

• Be aware of know the risk factors of a person who might be thinking of hurting themselves
• Show them that you care
• Remind them that health is available
• Offer to help him 
• Educate yourself about mental health problems.
• Hear them out 
• Reassure him/her that you care about them and love them   

Watch and Listen 

• Keep a close eye on a teen who is depressed and withdrawn.
• Keep an open communication and express your concern, support, and love even when they do not want to open up to you.
• Be considerate, the problems they are going through might be small to you but might be a bigger issue to them.
• If the teen isn't comfortable talking to you about the issues suggest someone else they might open up to.

Get Help 

• If you know someone who is thinking about suicide get help for them. A doctor can refer them to a psychologist or a psychiatrist. 
• You can call (800) SUICIDE
• If teen is refusing to go see psychologist/ psychiatrist talk to the mental health professional and consider attending the session as well. 

Personal 

 Recently in my community we lost a young life due to suicide. He was 18 years old and had barely started college. I did not know him personally but he graduated from the same high school as I did and I had graduated with his sister and had a class with her so it hit me personally as it did to other people who were his friends or knew him. I had seen pictures of him on social media and he looked like a genuinely nice and happy guy who was full of life. It made me realize that even though someone looks happy from the outside you do not know what they are going through and might need someone to talk to. That is why it is important to be aware of the warning signs and know how to help someone who is thinking of hurting themselves before they do. By simply asking someone how they are doing can make there day because you never know how much they are hurting in the inside. I had also had a personal experience in which my sister hurt herself too. It was a very freighting experience in which no one should have to go through. We got her the help she needed and she is doing better. I have asked a few people in my community who are in the age range of 15-24 if they think suicide awareness is important and what they feel about suicide awareness or what they would tell someone who is thinking of hurting themselves.

Members of My Community

Eliseo Peraza
Age: 21
Chico State University 
Sylmar, CA

" Suicide isn't something that comes all at once, it's slowly boils up. You're at a point in your life where you feel that you're a burden in people's life. Peoples lives will get better with you out of it, you also feel like you have nothing to live for. You feel that your drowning in loneliness, sorrow, and emptiness. But there's always help there for you, think about the people that actually love you and the damage you will leave on them, grab a grip on them because they're your safety net. I feel that it is a issue that we need to be aware because in the LGBT community which I am I part of I have lost a few friends due to self-hatered." 

Jacob Santana

Age: 21

University of California San Diego

Sylmar, CA

"I definitely feel teen suicide is an issue people of all ages should be more aware about. As humans, we each go through phases in our lives, in which we all can relate to each other. We need to acknowledge the good and bad in our lives and embrace every moment of it so that we can learn from our experiences and push ourselves towards better that we seek. Whenever we feel as though we are in low points in our lives, we just need to remember that from the bottom, we go up! It may be difficult to initially get motivated or started, but it gets easier or linear, but with remembering that you, as a powerful, unique, and able being, have the strength like no other being on this planet to keep going and live for yourself happy. Use your powers to live the best life you can, because you definitely can, and even if others don't think you are able to do something, just know and believe that you CAN!"










Jesus Perez
Age: 20
College of the Canyons
Sylmar, CA

"If someone told me they wanted to commit suicide I would probably tell them that I am here for them if they need to talk about anything or need help with anything, but taking your life shouldn't be an option because I understand life can get very difficult and some people go through some really difficult times is beautiful and worth experiencing. I understand that you are in a dark place right now, but it is only temporary. A time will come where you will experience happiness and love; you just have to be here to get to that point. I believe that all of our experiences are for a reason, and they help us  discover our purpose here while we are alive. Maybe your purpose is to get through these hard times and maybe one day you can help someone out of their dark times through your experiences. We are always going to be faced with challenges in life but those challenged are what help us grow and get stronger. I would really emphasize that they do NOT have to go through it alone and there are many resources and people available to help. I do believe it is important for people to always be aware of suicide because it can happen to anyone and we should know the knowledge and resources there are to help others and ourselves because you never know if you might find yourself in that situation." 



I had always thought of suicide as an issue everyone should be aware of. People are not aware that teens also go through hard times and its sometimes hard to find someone to talk about their issues with because they ar embarrassed or they think thr person would not take it serious. Always check up on yout loved ones or even if you see a stranger on the streets or in the school halls who looks sad, share a smile you could be the one who makes their whole day.

Refernces

“About Teen Suicide.” Edited by D'Arcy Lyness, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Aug. 2015, kidshealth.org/en/parents/suicide.html#.

“Youth Suicide Statistics.” Parent Resource Program, prp.jasonfoundation.com/facts/youth-suicide-statistics/.