An alarming truth: thousands of teenagers, both girls and boys, are at risk for suicide. Though many do not recognize suicide as a serious threat to a teenager’s well-being, teen suicide is now considered a major cause of death among American teenagers.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), about 8 of every 100,000 teenagers committed suicide in 2000.
Experts estimate that for every teen suicide death, there are at least 10 other teen suicide attempts. They also found out that almost 1 in 5 teens had thoughts about suicide. About 1 in 6 teens made plans on committing suicide and more that 1 in 12 teens had attempted suicide in the last year. As many as 8 out of 10 teens who commit suicide try to ask for help in some way before committing suicide, such as by seeing a doctor shortly before the suicide attempt.
It is said that depression causes most teenage suicides in the United States. It is depression that leads people to focus mostly on failures and disappointments; emphasize the negative side of their situations; and downplay their own capabilities or sense of self-worth.
Depression or depressive disorders...