Adolescent Suicide By: Kayla Dunn, Mary Flanagan, Adam Hall, Anna Miller, and Wesley Strother

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Adolescent SuicideBy Kayla Dunn, Mary
Flanagan, Adam Hall, Anna Miller, and Wesley
Strother
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Facts

• Suicide is the third-leading cause of death in
  adolescents
• Between 6 and 13 percent of adolescents attempt
  suicide at least once during their teenage years
• Mostly due to psychological disorders (90)
• Depression
• Also, due to substance abuse

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Myths

• All suicidal people really want to die. WRONG!
• Mostly looking for a permanent solution to a
  temporary problem.
• Taking the easy way out
• Those who talk about suicide never do it. WRONG!
• Discussing suicide with a suicidal person
  increases the risk of him/her committing suicide.
  WRONG!

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Myths, Cont.

• Once signs of improvement are shown, the danger
  is over. WRONG!
• Once a person fails, he/she will never try again.
  WRONG!
• Past attempts predict future attempts

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Detecting Teens at Risk

• Clues may be direct or indirect
• May be verbal or behavioral
• When determining if a teen is at risk, eliminate
  all myths

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Verbal Clues

• Most obvious of warning signs
• Indirect clues
• I cant take it anymore!
• Youll miss me when Im gone.
• I wont be here when you return.
• Direct clues
• I want to die.
• Im going to kill myself.
• If this happens again, Im going to end it
  all.

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Behavioral Clues

• Indirect clues
• Giving away prized possessions
• Making a will
• Saying good-bye to family and friends
• Extreme cases of irritability, guilt, and crying
• Direct clues
• Failed suicide attempts

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Failed Suicide Attempt
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Intervention What to Do

• No kill contract promising not to inflict
  harm upon oneself
• Remove anything accessible to adolescent that may
  cause harm
• Guns, Ammunition, Pills, Ropes, Sharp Objects
• Watch at all times
• If out of control, institutionalize

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Intervention What Not to Do

• Honesty is the best policy
• Do not be falsely reassuring, ex. Telling the
  adolescent that everyone loves him, everyone is
  his friend, etc.

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Adolescent Impact
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Adolescent Impacts

• Suicidal behavior is the end result of a complex
  interaction of psychiatric, social and family
  factors.
• Some social changes might be related to the rise
  in adolescent suicide.

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Stressful Events that can Trigger Suicidal
Behavior

• Previous suicide attempts.
• A family that member has committed suicide.
• Recent losses Death of someone close to you,
  divorce in the family, or relationship break up.
• Social isolation Having no social alternative.

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Stressful Events that can Trigger Suicidal
Behavior cont

• Drug or alcohol abuse Drugs and alcohol decrease
  impulse control and some individuals try to
  self-medicate their depression with drugs or
  alcohol.
• Exposure to violence In the home or the social
  environment The individual sees violent behavior
  as a viable solution to life problems.
• Having handguns in the home.

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Suicide has a powerful effect on the individuals
family, school and community.

• Anyone close to someone who has committed suicide
  may experience
• Fear
• Rage
• Guilt
• Depression
• Disbelief

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Cont

• Shock
• Self-Doubt
• They may feel responsible for not recognizing the
  signs.
• Feel Angry at the victim for deserting
  themselves.
• A feeling of loss and emptiness.

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Impact

• Adolescents may often support a suicidal friend
  by themselves. If they do not try to get their
  friend help and then they commit suicide, the
  adolescent will feel a tremendous burden of guilt
  and failure.
• It is very important for teens to listen to
  suicidal youth in an empathetic way but they
  should also make sure that they report suicidal
  statements to a responsible adult to make sure
  that the teen can obtain help.

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Impact, Cont.

• Recovery from loss may take 1-2 years.
• -There are intense feeling that have to be
  worked through as they accept the loss.

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Copycat Suicide

• Where one person commits suicide and this gives
  permission for others to commit suicide too.
• This is especially true when the suicide is
  getting a lot of attention from the media.

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Continuity of Adolescent Suicide
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Risk Levels of Suicidal Adolescents

• Low Risk Teens
• May joke about suicide from time to time.
• Repeatedly seek treatment of similar somatic
  complaints
• High Risk Teens
• A comprehensive plan including the method, place,
  time, and clear intent.

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Treatment Options for Low Risk Teens

• A thorough assessment of the adolescents concerns
  should be performed by a Pediatrician or a
  Child/Adolescent Psychologist.
• A follow-up appointment with the evaluator should
  be arranged to establish a treatment plan and
  check the teens progress with that treatment
  plan.
• EVEN LOW RISK SUICIDAL TEENS SHOULD RECEIVE
  PROPER MEDICAL ATTENTION TO PREVENT THE CONDITION
  FROM WORSENING.

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Treatment of High Risk Teens

• Contact a mental health professional
  IMMEDIATELY!!
• There are several options for immediate
  evaluation of suicidal teens
• Emergency Room
• Hospitalization
• Same day appointment with a mental health
  professional.

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Continued Treatment of High Risk Teens

• A comprehensive emotional and psychosocial
  evaluation must be completed prior to discharge
  from the hospital.
• Family Members should also be interviewed to help
  define further explanations of the teens
  attempt.
• Teachers and family friends may also provide
  helpful information about the teen.
• Intervention should fit the teens needs.
• Pediatricians can enhance the continuity and
  compliance of the treatment by keeping regular
  contact with the suicidal teen after making
  referrals.
• ALL FIREARMS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE HOUSE IN
  WHICH THE TEEN RESIDES!!

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Crisis Control Within the School

• Schools often ask pediatricians to report do the
  school to provide crises control.
• Provide medical information about the cause of
  death as well as explain health implications from
  an attempted suicide
• Help the nurse attend somatic complaints of the
  teens fellow classmates
• Reports the incident to fellow pediatricians,
  raising their vigilance
• It is important to remember that no intervention
  has been proven to predict or prevent suicide.

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A Few Questions Following Teen Suicide

• Who should be involved in responding to the teen
  suicide? To do what?
• Who should be told about the event? When?
• What should they be told?
• Funeral?
• If the suicide occurred within the school, how
  should the site be managed?
• Should student suicide prevention curriculum be
  instituted?
• How long should intervention and vigilance last
  after the tragedy?
• Memorial? Anniversary?

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Cultural Differences Statistics

• In 1998, white males accounted for 61 of all
  suicides among youth age 10-19.
• White males and females accounted for over 84 of
  all youth suicides.
• According to the Center for Disease Control, in
  2004 American Indian and Alaskan Natives had the
  highest rate of suicide between the ages of 15-24.

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Statistics, contd

• From 1981-1998, suicide rate increased most among
  black males 10-19
• Rate more than doubled from 2.9 per 100,000 to
  6.1 per 100,000.
• 1999 nationwide high school survey showed
  Hispanic students were almost two times more
  likely than white students to have reported a
  suicide attempt (12.8 vs. 6.7)
• Of the 12.8, Hispanic females were almost three
  times more likely than Hispanic males to have
  reported a suicide attempt (18.9 vs. 6.6)

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Socio Environmental Differences

• There are few differences in SES from the general
  population, except among African Americans.
• African American suicides tend to have higher SES
  than general black population.
• Those who attempt to commit suicide are less like
  to attend college than same-age, same-sex general
  population.

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Gender Differences

• Girls are more likely to attempt suicide
• Boys are more likely to succeed
• Use more violent methods
• Hanging, single vehicle car accidents, shooting
  or stabbing themselves, jumping from heights
• Girls tend to use less violent methods
• Taking pills
• Cutting

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Families

• Youth who commit suicide are to some extent more
  likely to come from a broken home than are
  others of their same ethnic group.
• However, about half lived with both biological
  parents at time of death
• One mutual factor for most cases is poor
  parent-child communication.

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Families, contd

• High proportion of suicides and attempted
  suicides had a close family member or friend who
  committed or attempted suicide.
• Familial suicide could be in part due to
  imitation or genetics.
• If risk of suicide is genetic, it is unclear
  whether it is a predisposition to mental illness
  or an underlying personality that is inherited.

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Places to Receive Help

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
  Department of Neuropsychiatry.
• Division of Psychiatry
• Texas Suicide and Crisis Hotline
• http//suicidehotlines.com/texas.html
• Troubled Teen 101
• www.troubledteen101.com

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Sources

• Author Unknown. (Apr 2000). Suicide and Suicide
  Attempts in Adolescents. Pediatrics, Part 1 of 2,
  Vol. 105, Issue 4, 871-875.
• Popenhagen, Mark P. and Roxanne M. Qualley (Apr.
  1998). Adolescent Suicide Detection,
  Intervention, and Prevention. Professional School
  Counseling, Vol. 1(4), 30-36.
• Rice, F. P. Dolgin, K. G. (2005). The
  adolescent Development, relationships and
  culture (11th ed.). Boston Pearson