Every day approximately 80 Americans take their life, and more than 1,500 people attempt to do so. That means a person dies by suicide about every 18 minutes and an attempt is made once every minute. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. It is also the 2nd leading cause of death among college students. As a member of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention I am hear tonight to tell you about some of the causes, warning signs and ways to prevent this problem.
According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide. You are not depressed when you feel sad for a day or two; you are depressed when you experience a prolonged period of sadness that interferes with your daily life. Depression occurs because of an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. It is an illness and it is highly treatable. Unfortunately, many people do not receive treatment for depression because the problem may not be recognized or it is just ignored, and thus are at risk for suicide. Some people die by suicide because of a depression that was caused by genetics. You probably have heard about some individuals who died by suicide and did not exhibit any symptoms or appear to have any serious problems. In these cases, it is possible that the person had depression that occurred because of this genetic factor.
Most suicides are caused by a combination of events that lead a person to believe that suicide is the only way out. It is very rare that someone dies by suicide because of one cause. Many people die by suicide because depression is triggered by several negative life experiences, and the person does not receive treatment. The death of a loved one, a divorce or break up of a relationship, a serious illness, abuse, excess use of alcohol or drugs, and low self esteem are all negative life experiences that may be a cause of depression. In the book Depression written by Henny H Kim, drug and alcohol abuse was the most common characteristic of young people who attempt suicide.
In an article in US Newswire it states that there are five major warning signs of a suicidal person. Feelings of sadness or hopelessness, declining performance in school, loss of any interest in activities, sleeping too much or too little and changes in weight or appetite should all be taken seriously.
There are many ways to help someone that you think is suicidal. When a person says that he or she is thinking about suicide, you must always take the comments seriously. Do not handle the situation by yourself. A suicidal person needs immediate assistance from qualified mental health professionals. There are many suicide hotlines and support groups. Also seeing a therapist or psychiatrist or talking to someone that the person feels comfortable with is very important. After the person has received help follow up with the person on a regular basis to make sure that he or she is doing okay. Suicidal feelings can come and go so follow up to see how the person is. It is very important to show continued support. If the person becomes suicidal again, take immediate action to help him or her.
As you can tell suicide among young adults is a growing problem that needs to be taken seriously. It has been a growing concern in the past few years and is very preventable. There are also many preventive measures you can take to help someone that you might think is in trouble. Thirty thousand lives could be saved each year if people were more aware of causes and warning signs of suicide and knew what steps to take to prevent it.

Registered Members, login
Join now, it's free

Property of EssaySwap.com