THE BATTLE OF MYSELF

(Understanding depression and teenage suicide)

By:
Ms. Ariane Marie P. Paraon, MM
HR Professional, Professor, Life Coach, Graphologist, Dream
Analyst

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 OBJECTIVES

• Explain and Understand depression and its

symptoms
• To be aware of the different ways on how to
overcome depression
• Explain the scope and impact of the teen suicide
problem
• Identify teen suicide risk factors and warning
signs
• Describe the sources of information that are
available to determine whether a teen is suicidal 2
 That’s the thing about depression: a human
being can survive almost anything, as long as
s/he sees the end in sight. But depression is so
insidious and it compounds daily, that it’s
impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a
cage without a key.’
Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

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 DEPRESSION

• A mood disorder that causes a persistent

feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also
called major depressive disorder or clinical
depression, it affects how you feel, think and
behave and can lead to a variety of emotional
and physical problems.

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 Diagnosis of Depression
• Diagnosis requires presence of 5 of the following for at least 2
weeks:
– Sad, depressed daily mood
– Loss of interest in usual activities
– Difficulties in sleeping
– Poor appetite and weight loss
– Loss of energy, great fatigue
– Negative self-concept
– Recurrent thoughts of suicide or death

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 SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR

Includes suicidal ideation (thoughts),

attempts and completions.

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 Assisted suicide
when one individual helps another
bring about their own death indirectly
via providing either advice or the
means to the end

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 Euthanasia
(mercy killing) where another person
takes a more active role in bringing
about a person's death

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 Egoistic Suicide

• feel extremely detached from their

community.

• They do not feel a part of the greater whole or

a sense of belonging.

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 Fatalistic Suicide
• feel oppressed by the society around them.
They feel constantly repressed, both physically
and mentally, by those who enforce power
over them.
• People who live in very oppressive countries
or prisoners would be most likely to commit
fatalistic suicide.

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 Anomic Suicide

• This type of suicide is typical of people who

feel morally lost and have no sense of
direction in their lives.
• Given the lack of a solid path, this person
would rather die than feel lost.

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 Altruistic Suicide
• This type of suicide happens when a group or
society has very influential power over
individuals.
• This is also associated with soldiers who go to
war for their country and run into the line of
fire for their country's good.
• Example: suicide bombers or cult suicides.
This would be likened to allowing one's self to
be sacrificed for crops or gods as well.

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• There are 4.5 million depressed Filipinos – the
highest in Southeast Asia
• Only one out of three who suffer from
depression will seek the help of a specialist,
according to WHO. One third will not even be
aware of their condition.

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“In the Philippines, many people still think that
depression is not an illness, but something
that one eventually snaps out of, and that’s
the reason why so many people who are
suffering from depression feel embarrassed to
seek help,” said Senator Grace Poe, who filed a
resolution on the increasing incidence of
suicide and depression in the country.

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 The Relationship between Suicide
and Mental Illness

Suicide and Depression

It is estimated that depression will become the

second most common cause of disability, after
heart disease, by 2020

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 The Relationship between Suicide
and Mental Illness

Distinguishing Between Depression and

Normal States of Sadness and Grief

Experts report that from 20% to 60% of the deaths by suicide

occur among people who have a mood disorder

Suicide among such people is more common among those with

more severe and/or psychotic symptoms, with late onset, and
with coexisting metal and addictive disorders. Death through
suicide is also more common among those who have
experienced stressful life events, who have a medical illness
and who have a family history of suicide.

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 The Relationship between Suicide
and Mental Illness

Normal states of grief or sadness generally have less pervasive

effects and last for shorter periods of time than those that mark
major depression

Certain symptoms of severe depression, include anhedonia (the

inability to experience pleasure), hopelessness, and loss of mood
reactivity (the ability to feel a mood uplift in response to
something positive).

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 Symptoms commonly tied to major
depressive disorders:

• sleep disturbances
• changes in appetite
• troubles with concentration
• brooding on sad thoughts or
feelings, or substance use.

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 Suicide and Bipolar Disorder

For those with bipolar depression, suicide risks are approximately

15 times

People with bipolar disorders need encouragement to initiate

and stick to treatment regimes and continued follow-up of their
treatment.

Suicide and Schizophrenia

It is estimated that there is a 4 to 10 percent lifetime risk for
suicide among persons with schizophrenia and a 40% lifetime risk
of suicide attempts

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 Suicide and Schizophrenia
World Health Organization study found the most common cause
of death in those with schizophrenia was suicide

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any

mental illness

Substance Abuse
People with severe alcohol dependency or alcoholism have
increased risk for suicide.

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 Suicide and Schizophrenia
World Health Organization study found the most common cause
of death in those with schizophrenia was suicide

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any

mental illness

Substance Abuse
People with severe alcohol dependency or alcoholism have
increased risk for suicide.

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 Suicide and Mental Disorders: general population studies

No diagnosis 3.2%

Other DSM axis I diagnosis 5.1%

Mood disorders
Adjustment disorders 3.6%
35.8%

Anxiety/somatoform disorders 6.1%

Other psychotic disorders 0.3%

Organic mental disorders 1.0%

Personality disorders
11.6%

Schizophrenia
10.6%

Substance-related disorders
22.4% 28
(8205 cases, 12292 diagnoses)
 Youth Suicide

Warning Signs
• Current suicidal ideation, intent, and plan
• Verbal and written statements about suicide,
death and dying
• Dramatic changes in behavior or personality
• Symptoms of depression
• Preoccupation with death and suicide
themes
• Giving away prized possessions
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs

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 Youth Suicide

Triggers
• Getting into trouble with authorities
• Knowing someone who died by suicide
• Breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend
• Academic crisis or school failure
• Death or loss of a loved one or significant
person
• Bullying/victimization

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 Cyber bullying

• Online bullying - 1/3 of children

• Every 30 minutes a child attempts
suicide due to bullying

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 SUICIDE AND SEROTONIN

Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, a type of

chemical that helps relay signals from one
area of the brain to another. Although
serotonin is manufactured in the brain, where
it performs its primary functions, some 90% of
our serotonin supply is found in the digestive
tract and in blood platelets.

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 ROLE OF SEROTONIN

As a neurotransmitter, serotonin helps to relay

messages from one area of the brain to another.
Because of the widespread distribution of its cells, it is
believed to influence a variety of psychological and
other body functions. Of the approximately 40 million
brain cells, most are influenced either directly or
indirectly by serotonin. This includes brain cells related
to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep,
memory and learning, temperature regulation, and
some social behavior.

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LINK BETWEEN SEROTONIN AND DEPRESSION

An imbalance in serotonin levels may

influence mood in a way that leads to
depression.

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 “The chief patient that I am
preoccupied with is, MYSELF”

-SIGMUND FREUD

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 SET GOALS

When you're depressed, you may feel like you can't

accomplish anything. That makes you feel worse
about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for
yourself.

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 EXERCISE

It boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins.

Regular exercise encourage the brain to rewire itself
in positive ways.

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 •GET ENOUGH SLEEP

•AVOID CAFFEINE

•AVOID ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND

DRUGS

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 •STATE FEELINGS IN A CLEAR WAY
(for example: “I feel angry when you
yell at me.”)

•LEARN RELAXATION TECHNIQUE

•LAUGH

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Champions are not the people
who never experience FAILURES,
but rather people who

NEVER QUIT

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