A troubled teenager may start thinking about suicide or attempting it. They may buy a gun, hoard pills or research ways to kill themselves.
Affluent kids tend to have a better chance of not feeling this distress, but the national climate can fuel suicidal thoughts even among kids who seemingly have everything. Social disconnection is a factor, too.
Adolescence
Adolescence is a period of rapid change and transition in all areas of life — physical, mental, emotional and social. It is a time of tremendous growth and potential but it can also be stressful and confusing. Changing schools, work, living situations and relationships can be difficult to manage. Many young people feel overwhelmed by these changes and do not have the coping skills to deal with them.
Depression and suicidal feelings can be treated with medication or talk therapy. It is important to know the warning signs so that you can get help for a child or teen before it’s too late.
Research has shown that youth who attempt suicide have worse socio-economic outcomes as adults. Compared with those who did not, they have lower personal annual earnings, smaller retirement savings and more often experience separation/divorce and welfare dependency. This is true even after controlling for a wide range of critical predictive factors. Many of these youths are buried in a culture of shame and stigma that can prevent them from getting help.
Mental Health
The youth suicide crisis is associated with many mental health problems including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and family dynamics. A significant number of young people who attempt suicide have poor adult socioeconomic outcomes, and this underscores the need for psychosocial interventions to prevent long-term social disadvantage.
Moreover, it is important to remember that suicides are usually impulsive and occur suddenly and unexpectedly. Often, young people who commit suicide are not displaying a lot of warning signs and their friends and families don’t realize that they are in distress.
The risk factors that can help identify a suicidal person include depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions, substance abuse and the presence of a weapon, especially guns. Other warning signs are frequent complaining about physical pains or illness, giving away personal items without a clear, logical reason and becoming less social or wanting to be alone. A child or adolescent who has these signs should receive a complete, comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and treatment with both psychotherapy and medications.
Family Issues
The risk for suicide is highest when young people have a history of loss–such as a broken relationship, rejection by a significant other or a family death–and are struggling with underlying psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. The CDC report found that girls in particular are at high risk for having persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness.
Studies on the effects of family on teenage suicide are hampered by the fact that it is extremely difficult to conduct unbiased interviews with families of deceased teenagers. Furthermore, most of these interviews are cross-sectional and therefore fail to capture the nuances of family grieving processes, which tend to change over time.
A good start is screening all adolescents at risk for suicide during their regular health supervision visits at the primary care medical home or the ED, with subsequent counseling on safety planning and referrals to mental health services. Additionally, adolescent youth should be assessed for access to lethal means and counseled on safe firearm and medication storage.
Depression
Depression is the number one cause of suicide in young people. Teens may feel misunderstood, abused or devalued by family and friends and can experience trauma both personally and through social media.
Various risk factors increase suicide risk in teenagers, including academic pressure and alcohol consumption, the loss of significant relationships, frequent changes of residency and dysfunctional family patterns. Major psychiatric disorders also increase the likelihood of suicide. For example, the suicidal tendencies of young people with schizophrenia are often exacerbated by an auditory hallucination where they hear a voice telling them to kill themselves.
Conflicts with parents are also common in many youth suicide cases, and the occurrence of violence within the home is found more often than one might expect. Several studies indicate that feeling connected to others, like peers at school or virtual community members online, can reduce the chances of a teen attempting suicide. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that this is not always the case.