Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24 (Scallan and Allick). Mental health screenings can help show the signs of a person who is having suicidal thoughts. In recent years, there has been a mass quantity of debate regarding whether or not mental health screenings for teenagers should be provided in schools. To most, mental health screenings in schools are an invasion of privacy. However these mental health screenings provide the help teens with suicidal tendencies need. Many students will not go and get help if they are feeling depressed, through these screenings it will help provide teens with someone that will help them. While some believe that mental health screenings are an invasion of privacy, mental health screenings …show more content…
The issue of the high suicide rates in teens is an issue in many other countries, like Canada. In many provinces in Canada the suicide rate for males is 40 times the national average ( Recognizing Risk). This affects teenagers and definitely their parents. The loss of a young life affects the family and society for years, as they struggle to understand what happened (Recognizing Risk). It is very unfortunate that the risk of teenager suicide is so high. The family of the teenagers who follow through with suicide become emotionally ruined. For these families it is an everyday thing to wonder what type of adult their child would have became. When a teenager commits suicide it leaves their friends to think about what they could have done to stop it, and often the friends begin to blame the loss of their friend on …show more content…
Suicidal thoughts can be produced by an endless amount of things. A couple common reasons are, sexual/verbal/physical abuse, loss of a loved one. a serious illness, or alcohol and drug abuse. For example a major reasoning people commit suicide is because of bullying. A student named Audrie Pott from Sarasota, California was sexually harassed by two guys at her school. The students had to go to different schools and give a presentation on slut shaming and cyberbullying. The boys’ purposes were to pass around the awareness of bullying, and also the awareness of suicide. These boys owed the family of Audrie Pott 950,00 dollars (Teicher- Khadaroo). Many teenagers who are suicidal will attempt to hide it from everyone else, so the importance of the mental health screenings in schools is huge. Students will not begin to talk about their suicidal thoughts to someone they do not trust. The screenings will help point out the signs of depression. The school will offer help to these students who need it. The issues of suicide has been around for many years, but noone can seem to figure out how to stop it. The idea of requiring mental health screenings to teens will surely decrease the rate of suicide and increase the rate of help for the suicidal
Despite all these positives of school suicide prevention programs, there are still those who believe that there are too many negative aspects to deem them appropriate or even doable in the school system. Now, of course there are the people who claim that those who threaten suicide, or even go as far as committing suicide, are just doing so to receive attention. This goes along with what Harry Beckwith discusses in his book Unthinking regarding one main thing that the majority of Americans want: to stand out from the crowd. Throughout this section in his book, Beckwith claims that people in the United States value secret menus and tattoos merely because they set us apart. (90-92). With that logic, it makes complete sense that a person would go as far as to threaten to take their own life to receive attention, right? Several other arguments exist such as “the risk of false positives or false negatives, the possible stigmatization of those found to be in need of services, the overall cost-effectiveness of such programs… and the risk that a school may not have the resources to deal effectively with every student found to be at-risk” (Abel and Erickson 287). The reason behind the argument involving the chance of error in the schoolwide screenings comes from the fear that a student who is depressed or suicidal will not appear as such in the test, or a student who is not depressed or suicidal, will. This could result in a family losing their child to suicide later on because they
In this source features statics of the teen suicide stating that teen suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in adolescence ages 11 to 15 it goes on to say that from 2003-2015 suicide has claimed the lives of over 5,500 youth. It was sound that there was a pattern of similarities between the youth that varied in race from Caucasian, African American, and Asian. There were relationship problems, mostly with their parents. Data also revealed that the individuals showed progression towards suicidal behavior. This source is full of factual information regarding suicide without bias. Therefore it was very useful in my research. I found the source on EBSCO by searching teen suicide in the search bar.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens who feel that the world is better without them. I want to make a program in school to help kids who are in need of mental assistance and care. One of my friends is suicidal and told me she didn’t feel like anyone wanted her here anymore. I immediately told her she was worth it, that she should keep holding on, but people like her need someone to talk to while staying anonymous, so they don't have to worry about their parents talking with potential therapists. I think a school program could help that. Having somebody to talk to while staying unidentified may be important to a kid who doesn’t want to confide in anyone out of fear. Knowing that they could get help without feeling exposed could help a suicidal
Lives are slowly being lost due to suicide and not only is it affecting themselves but also the people who are around them. Suicide is defined as taking of one’s own life and it is an issue that should be given all attention to. Teen suicide has been talked about in every source of media and it still continues to have a harmful effect in todays generation. In the United States the eighth leading cause of death is suicide, within developing teens, suicide is the third leading cause of their deaths (NAMI). There are many signs of someone who is contemplating suicide. And there are many reason for someone to be driven to the point of suicide. Those reasons being if the teenager is dealing with depression, bullying, sexual abuse and abuse
The Mental Health Screening Form-III (MHSF) could provide useful information to help assess the appropriate level of care according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The MHSF is a versatile assessment that can be given to the client to answer or the clinician can orally give it to the client (Center for Abuse Treatment, 2005). The assessment covers a range of mental health illnesses that can prompt additional questions for the clinician to find out more information.
One evidence-based intervention is designed by Screening for Mental Health [SMH], the program is called Signs of Suicide [SOS]. The Signs of Suicide program is an award winning program and it is also a nationally recognized program (). The Signs of Suicide program is designed for youth of various ages ranging from middle school and the way to high school (). This program helps students learn how to point out signs of depression and suicide in themselves or in their friends or family. This program recognizes the emotional distress that often follows the aftermath of a completed suicide. Suicide, according to the Signs of Suicide Program is both recognizable and treatable. A well-designed prevention program can educate the youth on how to spot the warning signs of depression, in people they love. The Signs of Suicide Program provides everyday risk management tools and information to judge, prevent and respond to signs of suicide ().
It is estimated that one in every five youth experience mental illnesses that interfere with their everyday routines (“NAMI”). Mental health in the United States is a growing epidemic that needs to be solved. Youth with mental illnesses may never know that they have one; screenings for mental health are not something a lot of people take advantage of. Schools are a place where youth develop the most. In order for this to happen, society needs to make schools feel welcoming and provide support for those who need help. While some people do not believe mental illnesses exist, schools should require mental health screenings in order to prevent future violent situations, educate their staff, and do more to make students feel comfortable.
"More people in the general population die from suicide than homicide in North America. There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living in the United States, and for every suicide, there are between 8 and 25 attempts" (Brent 4203). Based on this research, the great effect of suicide is displayed. According to dictionary.com, suicide can be defined as "the intentional taking of one's own life." Suicide is a major issue for all people, but it most obviously affects those ranging from ten to twenty-four. People need to understand the tremendous ramifications caused from suicide everyday; when people take their lives, others lose their loved ones. Suicide, one of the leading causes of death of numerous people each day, has reached a crisis point for adolescents and young adults, and it needs to be prevented.
1). The researcher is concentrating on the feasibility of routine mental health screening in pediatric practice. The introduction section explains the importance of having routine mental health screening for adolescents.
In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.
These three essential elements are agreeing on the goal of treatment which was easy to establish with L, agreeing on the tasks required such as safety planning and developing a bond made up of mutual positive feelings (Ardito and Rabellino, 2011).
Suicide is a major problem worldwide; especially for teenagers. Self image plays a big roll in American society today, especially in enabling someone to make a wrong and destructive decision like suicide. Self image and low esteem effect the chances of a teenagers suicide greatly. There are many events that lead up to a young persons suicide, for instance a little problem that seems inescapable which manifests themselves into overwhelming burdens. Detection and prevention are both key for adults and young people to stop suicide from happening.
Teen suicide is something that is endless, it will never stop but if everyone was educated on it, it could help prevent deaths. I think with people provided with statistics and further information can help avoid adolescent suicide attempts. I think most teen suicide cases could be prevent if we knew the signs to look for and the ways to stop it. I believe parents would feel safer if they knew knowledge on the issue and how to handle it. The intended audiences for this essay is parents or friends of suicidal teens. This essay is important because, as mentioned earlier, we need to be educated on suicide to end tons of tragedies. It is also important to be aware of the warning signs to help prevent. This essay is relevant because teen suicide is a war that happens daily, and will continue to happen, until we take control of the situation and do something to stop it. If family members were informed of the cause and symptoms leading up to the attempt of suicide, then there is less likely that teenagers would try and commit
Before the age of eighteen nearly a fourth of all young persons will deal with mental illness (Shirk and Jungbluth 217). Only around a third of these children will receive professional treatment (United States Public Health Service qtd. in Shirk and Jungbluth 222). Because of the risk of suicide in mentally ill young people, it is crucial that mental health services are readily available to our youth in school settings. Therefore, schools should administer mandatory mental health screenings because mental illness often affects academic performance, and the majority of young persons that commit suicide have a treatable illness.
Day to day, teens suffer from peer pressure, problem from home, and stress from academics. Despise their status in the environment, majority of high school students refrain from acknowledging the presence of their reality. The problem in most situations in that students feel shut in, trapped in a never ending misery. How do they cope? What are their ways of dealing? Most students live in denial. Others have friends to confide in. For the devastating part, most students are not as open to these ideas and it leaves them with this alternative: suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause in teens the ages 14 to 19 within rural underserved areas. Suicidal ideation (SI), suicidal thoughts, were surveyed in over 12 high schools and it was found that in the past year, thoughts of (SI) were not shared with peers or even adults in the pursuit of receiving help or support (Pisani, 2012). Because a student spends most of their day at school, it is ideal for schools to provide realistic opportunities and school-based programs to assist with the suicide among the youth. The Surviving the Teens Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program designed four 50 minute session or each high school student. This presented information in regards to factual information about depression, suicidal warning signs, suicidal risk factors and myths associated with suicide (King, 2010). The program provide coping strategies for everyday life, referral sources if feeling suicidal, and how to recognize