The adolescent years are often filled with emotion and drama as puberty, growing independence and increased responsibilities bring enormous changes. This time of life is fraught with opportunities to fail or succeed, causing significant stress for many young people. Most emerge from adolescence as healthy, well-adjusted adults but a few fall victim to suicide. Adolescent suicide has many causes. Although each case is different, some patterns do exist.
Mental Illness
"Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing" reports that around 95 percent of suicidal people have a mental disorder. Depression is the most common disorder among suicidal teens; other teens have a personality disorder, an anxiety disorder, early schizophrenia, a conduct disorder or substance addiction. These disorders cloud rational thinking, causing the adolescent to magnify personal problems and be unable to find healthy coping mechanisms.
Unhealthy Home Environment
According to the University of Virginia Health System, adolescents who live in a home with family violence are at increased risk of suicide. Teens in homes without adequate food, security and stability are also at increased odds of both successful and failed suicide attempts. The death of a parent or a divorce that leaves an adolescent without the guidance of one parent can also lead to suicide. Some families place an extreme amount of stress on adolescents to perform academically -- such stressors occasionally lead to suicide as well.
Poor Peer Relationships
The American Association of Suicidology reports that the majority of teenage suicides are brought on by interpersonal conflicts. This is often found in peer groups. Bullying is a major problem among school-aged children; months or years of being bullied can take a toll on self-confidence and coping abilities, leaving an adolescent vulnerable to suicide. Occasionally, a teen commits suicide when a romantic relationship or an intense friendship ends.
Same-Sex Sexual Orientation
The Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program explains that adolescents with a homosexual sexual orientation are more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual adolescents. Several factors may come into play: guilt, self-disgust, peer rejection, parental condemnation or community disapproval. These teens are at risk for suicide whether they have acknowledged their homosexual orientation to others or not.
Alienation
Adolescents who feel alienated may attempt suicide. A typical situation might be a student who has moved to a new school but makes no new friends. Teens who spend significant amounts of time alone, sitting alone at lunch and coming home to an empty house, may not develop the strengths that shield them from falling into depression, loneliness and poor self-esteem -- all potential causes for suicide.
References
- American Association of Suicidology: Youth Suicide Fact Sheet
- University of Virginia Health System: Mental Health Disorders: Teen Suicide
- Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program: Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk in Adolescents
- "Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Concepts of Care in Evidence-Based Practice;" Mary C. Townsend, M.N., A.P.R.N; 2006
