The popular belief of why this increase in suicide among teens is the pressures put on teens today that did not exist in the 1950's. Teens are forced to juggle pressures on sex, school, huge expectations, and society's opinion. Many teens feel that they ar

Suicide does not start with one person, nor does it end with one person. It starts with a community and ends with a community. I think that communities should put a greater importance on this issue before the suicide happens. There are so many easy things that can be done to save someone's life; all it takes is compassion and action from the community. I learned different facts that I had never known before my research. I found out that firearms were the number one weapons used in suicide by 61%, distantly followed by hanging and strangulation at 14.5%. I always thought that overdosing on pills would be really high on the scale. I was also shocked to find that most people do not leave notes when they commit suicide. It just goes to show you how much television can influence someone's beliefs. "People who kill themselves don't really want to die, they just want to get away from the pain." (10) This means that they could probably be easily persuaded by comforting and supportive words. Keep your eyes open and if you see someone in need, do not ignore them...be a friend.

15. "Teen Suicide Fact Sheet" http://www.pflag.org/pom/teen.html

9. "Mental Illness Factor in Suicides" (Scottsdale, Arizona) Scottsdale Progress Tribune. May 7, 1994

There are a couple of different types of suicide. The main on is just plain suicide. The person no longer wants to deal with life, so he/she does away with it. Next is called a suicide cluster. This is when, "...a group of suicides, suicide attempts, or both, that occur closer together than would normally be expected in a given community." (6) When one teen commits suicide, this suddenly opens up a door to other vulnerable teens who have been either experiencing some of the danger signs of suicide or who have been considering suicide all together. The last is known as a suicide pact. This is when two or more people make a pact to commit suicide together. These people are usually friends and have a common reason for this decision, but are afraid to do it alone. Another scenario are teens in "...forbidden love, this romantic notion (stemming from the love story "Romeo and Juliet) that death is the only way for them to be together, due to dividing forces." (12)

There are many ways a person can give or receive help with suicide. When giving help the most important thing to remember is to just "...be a friend and do not try and lecture the person on the 'evils' of suicide." (3) If you detect that someone may be suicidal, ask him or her, then if they are, then encourage them to get help. Let the person know that you are there f

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1753
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)