Teenager Suicide – A Silent Crisis

Suicide – A lifelong solution to momentary problems. Most teenagers who shared this

thought had taken their lives, in longing for eternal relief of all their problems. According to

WISQARS (2016), 10,895 adolescents between the age of 15 to 24 committed suicide in

USA alone. Owing to social media and cyberbullying, teenage suicide is becoming a

prevalent problem, which will turn rampant if not helped through several viable solutions.

Depression, instigated by cyberbullying through social media, is the main cause of

teenage suicide. Through social media, a teen’s everyday activities are subjected to people’s

judgmental and harsh comments, known as cyberbullying. Due to a teenager's fragile mental

health condition, they are vulnerable to developing depression. A research in 2011 found that

approximately 2.2 million students between ages 12 to 18 were victims of cyberbullying

(National Centre for Educational Statistics [NCES], as cited in Megan Meier Foundation,

n.d.). Cyberbullying victims, who are constantly harassed and humiliated, tend to have lower

self-esteem and feel dejected, which then evolve to suicidal thoughts. Among adolescents,

cyberbullying victims were 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Hinduja

& Patchin, 2009).

Owning to the 7 hours that adolescent spend in school a day on average, school

personnel play a huge role in preventing teenage suicide (“The Malaysian Education System”,

2018). Firstly, academic staff should be trained to detect warning signs such as fatigue,

isolation and etcetera. A teenager demonstrating these symptoms should be encouraged to

confide in a trustworthy person such as a counsellor or a favourite teacher (Eggert,

Karovosky ,& Pike, as cited in Berman, Jobes, & Silverman,2006). Sharing one's problem

with others can reduce the risk of depression. Then, the school can inform the teenager's

parents and collaborate with them to help the teen. A more severe case of depression should

be handled by trained nurses from the school’s mental health services. Schools with

professional mental health services have reported fewer cases of depression and decreased

suicide rates (Solimanpour, Geierstanger, McCarter, & Brindis, 2011) . Next, the school's

Suicide Prevention Committee should collaborate with National Teen Support Groups to

raise awareness among students by hosting talks and discussions about suicide. With this

knowledge, teenagers are warier of their behaviour and know when to seek help from

professionals.

Having forged the closest relationship with a teenager, parents and friends play

crucial roles in preventing youthful suicide. Firstly, parents should get involved in more

activities with their teens, such as family vacations, as to let them open up and express their

emotions more comfortably (Vijaindren, 2018; King, Foster, & Rogalski, 2013 ). As a result,

teens can release pent-up negative thoughts, which is the main cause of depression.

Teenagers can also get expert opinions on how to handle certain situations from their parents,

who have gone through many years of experience. Besides family members, friends also

provide additional support to adolescents. Some teenagers may feel more easy-going among

friends and are more likely to confide in them rather than family members. Research shows

that 90% of adolescents confess their stress to peers rather than professionals (Deane, Wilson,

& Ciarrochi, 2001). A good friend might be able to pick up suicidal warning signs from peers.

For instance, a teen might talk about death and self-harm in front of friends, or start to take

big risks such as car speeding (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], n.d.). A less

obvious sign would be a sudden sense of calmness, after being depressed for a period of time
(Smith, Segal, &Robinson, 2018). This indicates that a teen has already decided to take his

life. Friends can support a teenager by constantly being by their side and listen to them when

they feel emotionally unstable (Nordqvist, 2018). Organising frequent outings are also

helpful as it serves as a distraction for a stressed teenager (Smith et al., 2018).

In a nutshell, cyberbullying among teenagers through social media has led to

detrimental depression symptoms, which, if not helped by a third party, escalates into suicidal

thoughts. In schools, increased awareness coupled with proficient personnel and ever-ready

mental health care services can intervene with a suicidal adolescent. Family and friends also

play an important role in preventing suicide in teens because they serve as the main source of

mental support for a teenager. With the joint effort of concerned family, friends and

professionals, teenager suicide no longer needs to be a silent crisis.

 REFERENCES

Berman, A.L., Jobes, D. A., &Silverman, M .M .(2006). Adolescent Suicide Assessment and

Intervention 2nd edition .Washington , DC :American Psychological Association.

Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2001). Suicidal ideation and help‐negation: Not

just hopelessness or prior help. Journal of clinical psychology. 57(7), pp. 901-914.

Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.1058

Hinduja, S.,& Patchin, J.W. (2009). Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and

Responding to Cyberbullying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications (Corwin Press).

King, C.A., Foster, C.E., & Rogalski, K.M. (2013). Teen Suicide Risk: A Practitioner Guide

to Screening, Assessment, and Management. New York, US: The Guilford Press.

Megan Meier Foundation. (n.d.). Cyberbullying and Social Media. Retrieved from

https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/cyberbullying-social-media.html

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injury/images/lccharts/leading_causes_of_death_age_group_2016_1056w814h.gif

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Nordqvist, C. (2018, February 13). What are suicidal thoughts?. Medical News Today.

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who is Suicidal and Save a Life. Help guide.org. Retrieved from

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