Suicide has taken a staggering toll on global public health, with almost one million people annually dying from suicide world-wide. Suicide is an important public problem of concern for children, adolescents, youth, middle-aged and all ages, around the world. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects not just the person’s families, but the communities, societies, institutions, colleagues, and sometimes the entire country. It has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicides occur among people of all ages and has been seen as the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally in 2016.
The most common mental illness reported was depression. Impulsivity and substance use, including alcohol and drugs, were also seen as warning signs for elevated suicide risk.
It is important to remember that suicidal thoughts and behaviors are not always the natural consequence of serious life stresses. People who experience a stressful life event may feel intense sadness or loss, anxiety, anger or hopelessness and may occasionally have the thought that they would be better dead rather than living which then leads them to creating the suicide plan or intention to die. If any of these above stated experiences are existent, it suggests that the person might probably be suffering from depression or any other psychiatric disorder and should seek professional treatment as soon as possible. This help is not just to keep one alive but also to get better in health and consequently fall out of the scenarios that raise their negativity to this fatal extent.
Many more young people have been reported to have attempt suicide than the number that actually succeed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the following information about high school students in the United States in 2015:
17% of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year.
13% made a suicide plan in the previous year.
8% of students attempted suicide one or more times in the previous year.
29% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) students attempted suicide at least once in the previous year compared with 6% of heterosexual high school students.
It is quite oftenly observed that suicide attempts involve at least some ambivalence about willingness to die and may be a preceding cry for help.
Among adolescents in the United States, boys outnumber girls in suicides by more than 4 to 1. However, girls are believed to be 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide.
Therefore, it falls on all of us to be vigilant of the people around us; to help the ones that might be going through a lot and just looking for any possible ray of hope to help them step behind from any such fatal attempt.
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