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How does Abuse affect Teen Suicide?

Imari White

Mrs. Jones English IV 3A March 28, 2014

Thesis: In this research paper, I will include suicide statistics, types of abuse, internal feelings of teens, how relatives are affected and solutions to the problem of abuse and teen suicide. I. There is a strong relationship between abuse and teen suicide. a. Studies show that people with disorders are more likely to commit suicide. b. Alcohol and drugs play a big role in peoples decision to commit suicide. II. There are multiple types of abuse that affect a persons well-being. a. Domestic and dating abuse specifically affects a teens mental health and/or related to relationships. b. Emotional and verbal abuse affects an individuals personal beliefs about themselves and causes internal conflict. c. Physical and sexual abuse focuses on more of the offenders action towards the victim. III. Suicide does not affect all groups equally. a. Youth are most affected because they are in a vulnerable time of their life. b. Transgender communities are affected because they are often judged for their identity. IV. Teens turn to many drastic measures to commit suicide because they feel like their life is hopeless. a. Teens sometimes use firearms as a way to commit suicide because they want immediate relief from pain. b. Sometimes teens turn to drugs which is more of a slow-paced and internal relief from pain.

c. Sometimes the method is more dramatic, like risky behaviors. V. Teens do not fully understand the impacts of their actions on their loved ones. a. The parents of the victim suffer from deep depression. b. Friends of the victim linger on ways they could have prevented the suicide. VI. There are many examples of teen suicide that received a lot of media attention. a. Social media plays a large role in affecting peoples perceptions of themselves, causing them to commit suicide. b. Bullies target victims of different ethnicities, causing people to question their identity, then committing suicide. c. Destroying peoples self-confidence leads to negative effects on their wellbeing, leading to suicide. VII. Suicide is a reducible problem. a. Increased education of mental health and the effects of bullying would reduce the rate of teen suicide. b. More counselors placed in schools to provide services to students could lessen teens risk of committing suicide.

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How does Abuse affect Teen Suicide? Adolescents are placed under a lot of pressure during their teen years. Some of these pressures include dating, parents, and coaches at school or personal issues, such as low selfesteem. All of these psychological pressures tend to add up, which increases a teens risk of committing suicide. In this research paper, I will include suicide statistics, types of abuse, internal feelings of teens, how relatives are affected and solutions to the problem of abuse and teen suicide. Sometimes, the stress of being a teenager can feel overwhelming, and instead of seeking help, a teen may take their own life. Teens often do not realize that they are leaving the entire world behind and that people are left to pick up pieces. No human being on Earth should have to deal with the painful experience this tragedy imprints in ones` heart. While, pressure can feel crippling to some, others find that out of pressure comes motivation. Teens should know that even though they go through hardships, it builds character. These experiences help prepare teens for the hard parts of life. If they do not experience these things, they would have a false impression of the world. Teens should enjoy the world while keeping in mind things will hinder them, but they should fight to the end. If these young adults allow things to stop them from being their best, they would get through nothing. The things that come easy in life do not feel as rewarding as the things you work hard for. History and Statistics of Abuse and Teen Suicide Sixty percent of all suicides are committed by people with disorders (Natalie Reiss and Mark Dombeck 2014). You can first tell the symptoms of suicide if the person shows signs of hopelessness, persistent drowsiness and depression. Teens will become withdrawn and stay away from their friends and prefer to be alone. They may choose not to go out as often and the things

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that once interested them will become dull. It is said that a babys brain grows and develops as they interact with their environment and learn how to function with it (Shonkoff and Phillips). The environment we are brought up in determines the direction of our future. Maltreatment during infancy and early childhood can have enduring repercussions into adolescence and adulthood ( Shonkoff and Phillips). This shows that if a child experiences abuse at the hands of their parents or others, it may negatively affect them in the future. Types of Abuse There is a significantly higher rate of suicide among people who abuse alcohol and/or drugs (Natalie Reiss and Mark Dombeck). This is relevant to teenagers because, studies show marijuana is the most prevalent drug used in ages 17-23 (John Curry 2012). Men and women who smoke marijuana before the age 17 are more likely to attempt suicide (Patrick Zickler 2014).Alcohol abuse frequently leads to other, very severe types of abuse. Emotional, physical and mental abuses have strong effects on the way people handle their lives. The bodys survival depends upon the ability to mount a response to stress (U.S. Department of Health and Human services 2009). Some people are not able to handle stress. Emotional abuse is the use of words to try and take control of ones life. Physical abuse is the actual hitting and punching of a person. Mental abuse is the threatening of someone to make them follow your rules. Other personal types of abuse are dating and sexual. For instance, when people are in relationships their spouse may force sexual play on them and try to make the feel guilty. So, now the other spouse feels obligated to do what their spouse says because they think the person loves them and feel this is how they can repay their love back. Domestic abuse involves abuse with intimate partners or family members. It can be all of the types of abuse in one. Dating violence has been associated

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with depressive symptoms and multiple health compromising behaviors (Rick Mauert). These different types of abuse can contribute to a teens depression or self-esteem problems. Behaviors, values, and emotions in network ties must be elaborated to truly understand how social relationships shape individuals life chances (American Sociological Review 2014). This refers to social networking, which is highly dangerous since everyone can see what goes on in your personal life. Teens get bullied on these sites; and something good could always seems to turn out bad. One small video of someone could go viral in seconds. Next, the whole world knows your secret that you just told one person. Teens are so embarrassed about the situation because they are at a point in their lives where they want everyone to like them, and this one mistake could change their lives forever. After, a while the embarrassment and pressure to be accepted gets too overwhelming and teens feel like they are nothing to anyone. They feel as if their life is so unimportant that even their own parents hate them. Communities that are Most Affected According to the American Sociological Review, strong social relationships protect individuals from suicide. One of the most at risk groups for teen suicide is youth and the transgender community. The transgender community is doubly affected by the situation because they are already judged for being the person they are. Plus, they are already trying to find a companion to love them for who they truly are. Youth are effected mostly because they are green and immature to situations. Teens have not experienced a lot of life situations and when it is thrown at them they act intimidated. They allow others to pick and choose their ideas for them and end up regretting it in the end. Adolescents should just live their life accordingly to how they want and enjoy it while there in their prime years. Exposure to suicidal behaviors in significant

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others may teach individuals new ways to deal with emotional distress (American Sociological Review). Learning from others can make these teens wiser in their decisions, especially elders who have basically almost fulfilled their lives. Methods of Harm There are many different ways one could harm one self, and teens use a large variety of things to commit suicide. Methods include overdosing on drugs; purposely get hit by moving vehicles, and jumping off high buildings. No incident is too big when they feel like their life is not meaningful anymore. They will go above and beyond to follow through with their plan. One of the most common way teens commit suicide is by self-inflicted gun shots. People who have access to firearms are more likely to commit suicide (Natalie Reiss and Mark Dombeck 2014). Because of this, firearms should not be as easily accessible as they are. If more restrictions were placed on buying them, it would lessen the rate of suicide. Effects on Friends and Families No one knows how these adolescents feel until they are placed in their shoes. We will never know. The families of a loved one who committed suicide may have an idea of what their kid was feeling. Families have to deal with their teens acting out. Communities are affected because they fall into depression and wonder how they could have stopped this death from going about. When a parent loses a child, they can feel exactly how it feels to be lost. Only time could heal all the pain they endure. They have to live everyday wondering how they could have stopped the situation from escalating this far, knowing they can never bring that person back again. All the memories they shared are now distant and have come to an end.

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Real Life Stories Two teen 16 year old girls committed suicide from a popular social media website called ask.fm. This site works by users inviting anonymous others to ask them a question that they can choose to answer. People on the site had been cyberbullying them for a while and eventually they could not handle it. Cyberbullying is harassing someone online. One of the girls was called a fat cow because of her weight. Both the girls were told to kill themselves. One girls mother went to the police and they said that they could be of no help. Eventually, the founders of the site realized that more people were committing suicide because of messages sent to them from the site. They blamed the victim of cyberbullying, since she chose to be on the website in the first place. Another story was about a boy who shot and killed himself after years of being bullied. Bart Palosz was known as a tall, weird boy with an accent and quiet. Days before committing suicide, Bart began to post depressive comments on his social network page. One comment was about if he was to take his eye out who would miss him? A school group was formed for any other teens that were being bullied and not willing to speak up about it. In the end, Barts family flew back to his hometown, Poland, where they buried him. The case is still being investigated to find the all the details to Barts death. Dating violence has been associated with depressive symptoms and healthcompromising behaviors (Rick Nauert). In the story, of Jesse Logan her relationship caused her to take her own life. Jesse Logan was an 18 year old girl who committed suicide over her nude video being sent viral. The Girls started to tease and call her names, and because of this Jesse would go to school every day depressed and gloomy. Everyone said she was known as kind

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hearted girl, with a positive energy and never did anything to hurt anyone. Jesse began to skip school daily, so Mrs. Logan would take her car away and punish her. Jesse would still skip school even after this. One day, her Mother came home to find that Jesse hanged herself in her closet. Ways to Reduce Teen Suicide There are many ways to stop a teen from committing suicide. They could get counseling from physicians, therapists or school nurses. Discussing all of their issues will help confront the situation without it ending badly. Teens could also go into youth programs for abuse. Many teens abuse problems begin in their childhood and may be caused from a family member or close friend hurting them. Talking to a professional could help them work through their issues, and allow them to focus on other, positive parts of growing up. Every day adolescents face a new obstacle, and each day they should be able to keep a good light in their head. These teens should know that the next day will only get better, that there is hope for someone like them, and that they are not alone. To prevent suicide, every teen should take pride in their life. They should know they were brought to earth for a purpose. They should all recognize the good in life and themselves. Everyone makes mistakes , but we only grow from learning from our mistakes. These kids are afraid of being judged. When they know they have people in their life who loves them, they would feel comfortable talking to those persons on lifes ordeals. Life would be a smoother ride for them. Even though they would still go through things it, would be worthwhile because they have someone who loves them to stick by their side.

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In conclusion, no one should ever have to experience teen suicide, or the backlash of it. It is one of the most horrific, selfish ways a persons life can end. One death could make such a big impact on the society a person leaves behind. The person you would least expect to be suicidal could be the one going through it. We should love people without having regrets or holding grudges. We never know if one of our family members is going through something and needs support. Life is a journey full of bumpy roads and long turns. Many shots are thrown at us; we just have to be the ones to overcome our obstacles in a good manner and still keep our joy. No one can take away our happiness unless we allow them to. Before, thinking about committing suicide , a person should think about how others can be affected. We do not live in this world alone. Everyone needs someones help one time or another. So, we as people should never make someone feel like less of a person because that exact person could be the only person who is there on your dying day.

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Bibliography

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