Suicide in Adolescents
Adolescents comprise an especially vulnerable group as far as suicide is concerned. This paper discusses a number of aspects relating to suicide in adolescents. Following a definition of the concept of suicide, attention is paid to the risk factor, contributing factors, prevalence of the risk, the role of healthcare practitioners in addressing the issue, ways of identifying and addressing the problem, as well as help and support resources.
Definition
Suicide is essentially defined as the deliberate or intentional termination of one’s life (Capuzzi & Golden, 2013). An individual causes their own death using drugs, poisonous substances, and firearms. Suicide can also be committed through hanging, suffocation, and falling (Shain & AAP Committee on Adolescence, 2016). It should be noted that self-injury and assisted suicide are not forms of suicide (Capuzzi & Golden, 2013).
Overview of the Risk Factor
Suicide is a major risk factor for death among adolescents. In the course of growing up, adolescents experience circumstances that may predispose them to suicidal ideation (Capuzzi & Golden, 2013). Events such as parental divorce and abandonment can be stressful and confusing for teenagers, eventually leading to suicide (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry [AACAP], 2013). For some teenagers, suicide is viewed as a permanent solution for...
References
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). (2013). Teen suicide. Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF- Guide/Teen-Suicide-010.aspx
Capuzzi, D., & Golden, L. (2013). Preventing adolescent suicide. New York: Routledge.
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2017). Quick stats: Suicide rates for teens aged 15-19 years, by sex – United States, 1975-2015. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6630a6.htm
Shain, B., & AAP Committee Adolescence. (2016). Suicide and suicide attempts in adolescents. Paediatrics, 138(1), e20161420.
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