Teen Suicide"A Permanent Fix for Temporary Problems"

by Zach Musil, Cassandra Ozouf, and Patty Prodanich

Information Search Process

• Search process was frustrating at times• Easy to find stats and facts on the internet• Very few current nonfiction books written for young

adults o The Power to Prevent Suicide: A Guide for Teens

Helping Teens (2006)o Teenage Suicide (2011)o Straight Talk About...Suicide (2011)

Young Adult Suicide U.S.A. Stats• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth and young

adults ages 10 through 24.• In 2008, 11.7 young adults ages 15 through 24 committed suicide

every day.  This averages to one young adult killing him- or herself every 2 hours and 3 minutes.

• The top three methods of suicide among youth and young adults are through use of firearms (46%), suffocation (37%), and poisoning (8%).

• Among youth ages 10 through 24, males are more likely to die from suicide than females (84% and 16% respectively), but females are more likely to report suicide attempts than males.

• Native American/Alaskan Native and Hispanic young adults have the highest rates of suicide.

• Homosexual, bisexual, and questioning young adults in grades 9 through 12 are more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors and attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Young Adult Suicide Illinois Stats• In 2008, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-

year-olds in Illinois.• Of those high school students who participated in the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2009 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey:27.8% felt sad or hopeless every day for two or more weeks;o 19.6% were bullied at school;o 14.5% seriously considered attempting suicide;o 11.3% made a plan on how they would attempt suicide;o 8.9% attempted suicide one or more times; ando 2.9% suicide attempts resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose

that required medical attention.

Is Teen Suicide an Epidemic?

You decide:

• Annually, over 500,000 young adults, ages 15 to 25, attempt suicide, and 5,000 young adults succeed.

• Suicide is one of the more preventable causes of violent deaths. Approximately 80% of the people who attempt or commit suicide demonstrated warning signs in advance.

If it is an Epidemic...

Why isn't anyone talking about it?

Brett, adult survivor

 "It's like the elephant in the room. Everyone knew my sister killed herself but no one ever talked openly about it. Not the family. Maybe her friends did. We just ignored it for years. Sometimes it was like we were ignoring the fact she ever lived at all." X

Why??

• Families are "afraid" to speak out: o Suicide is still a social "taboo"o Mental health issues (depression) are "taboo"o Don't want to get blamedo "Survivor guilt"o Too emotional o Used to be people would "sympathize" with the

family. Now the social tendency is to "blame" the family. How Could You Do It, Diane? by Stella Pevsner

 

Who's at Risk?Teens that:• are depressed;• have alcohol or other drug problems;• are gay or lesbian;• have attempted suicide before or who have come from

homes where it has occurred;• are gifted;• have learning disabilities;• are pregnant; or• are abused:

o physical: bullying, domestic abuseo sexual: rapeo emotional: verbal abuse, (cyber)bullying

Ryan Halligan -Cyberbully Suicide

LGBT & Teen Suicide Statistics-1CDC June 10, 2011 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report statistics for high school students who seriously considered attempting suicide:• 40.3% were bisexual;• 29.6% were gay or lesbian, and;• 11.7% were heterosexual.

 Same study-high school students who attempted suicide:• 28% were bisexual;• 25.8% were gay or lesbian, and;• 6.4% were heterosexual.

 

LGBT & Teen Suicide Statistics-2

CDC June 10, 2011 statistics

Ethnic LGBT Statistics-1

A 2007-2008 study of 246 ethnically diverse homosexual youths aged 16 to 20 and living in Chicago found:•  Lifetime suicide attempts were frequent (31%).

o This statistic was calculated by the number of participants that met criteria for any mental disorder.

• Bisexual participants were the only group to have significantly lower odds of having mental disorders and lower lifetime suicide attempts.

Ethnic LGBT Statistics-2

Jamey Rodemeyer's Story

Warning Signs- 3 Main Groups Behavioral Changes Changes in eating or sleeping patterns, withdrawal from friends and family, drinking or drug use, loss of interest in favorite activities, giving away valued possessions http://www.doitnow.org

Warning Signs- 3 Main Groups Personality Changes Common moods involve anger, anxiety, or depression. Other changes to look for include aggressiveness, hopelessness, hypersensitivity, [and] boredom http://www.doitnow.org

Warning Signs- 3 Main Groups Health Problems  Any serious or life threatening illness, and even such 'minor' complaints as frequent headaches, weight loss or gain, nausea, or fatigue

http://www.doitnow.org

The Rise of YA Suicide Literature

1951Catcher in

the Rye ----------First book to deal

with the issue of teen suicide despite it being non-YA at the

time

1979Jay's Journal

 ----------First classified YA novel on the topic of suicide, that

speaks to teens

1989Chinese

Handcuffs ----------

Emergence of books

covering “tough topics”

like suicide

1999The Perks of

Being a Wallflower

---------- Teens want to read mature

books-“virtually no topic is off-

limits”

2009-2011According to

NoveList Plus, 121 books were

published underneath the

subject "suicide"

Portrayal of Suicide in YA Literature Questions to think about when evaluating:• Is it an accurate or realistic portrayal?

o Do they contain true risk factors and warning signs?

• Is the act glamorized or romanticized?• Does it handle the topic of suicide in a sensitive

manner? Should it?

• How does it make the reader feel in the end? 

Going Over to the Dark Side

Teen lit about suicide, anorexia and techno-torture is on the rise

                    by Tula Batanchie

I don’t think it’s that teens are now more interested in exploring these issues,” said Jay Asher, author of the acclaimed teen suicide novel “Thirteen Reasons Why.” “It’s just that publishers aren’t afraid of these themes like maybe they once were.” “A lot of people think suicide is a controversial subject to tackle in a book for teens,” said Asher, whose book was inspired by a teenaged relative’s suicide attempt. “But for me, it was a very real and personal topic, so it wasn’t something I shied away from or thought was out-of-bounds.”

Zach's Picks

Cassie's Picks

Patty's Picks

Teen Suicide Prevention

What Teens Need• Someone who will talk with them openly and

honestly;• Someone who will listen;• Someone who will get them the help they need;• Someone that they can trust

o Teacher, friend, religious figure, or parent  In school, create a Gay-Straight Alliance or other affirming and accepting group.

Suicidal teens need a caring friend