Suicide in the Margins: A Research Paper by Raven Li

Suicide in the Margins

A Research Paper on Teen Suicide by Raven Li

As the second leading cause of death in adolescents aged 15-24 in the U.S, suicide is a huge societal issue, and, unfortunately, some groups are more heavily impacted than others. This is largely due to four smaller issues: a lack of education surrounding suicide's warning signs and the symptoms of depression being one of them. Another reason can be attributed to certain risk factors (environmental components that may affect the likelihood of suicidal thoughts, tendencies, or actions) that may be mutually or exclusively applicable. Often, racial and sexual minorities and otherwise socially excluded or marginalised groups, who are groups of people cast off as insignificant or ignorable, suffer heavier ramifications, an idea that will be discussed further later in this essay. The fourth and last possible cause is a lack of prevention and care methods that are easily accessible, affordable, and inclusive. Some people set stigmas against mental health or lack thereof, seeing it as a weakness, but the affected people deserve to be cared for. In other words: social, environmental, and cultural influences, along with lack of care, can raise the risk of suicides among marginalised youth and adolescents, and recognising warning signs is vital to the prevention of fatalities.

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What Heralds Suicide?

Signs and symptoms of suicide and depression often vary, and they may be difficult to recognise at times; however, it is vital to be able to identify possible warning signs and treat them immediately in order to prevent fatal escalation. While these signs often do not result in death among adolescents or youth, recognising them earlier on could be crucial to prevention later on in life.

According to Johns Hopkins, signs of suicidal thoughts or tendencies often include changes in eating, social, and sleeping habits, lack of interest in normal activities, sudden outbursts, risky behaviour, impulsiveness, excessive substance use, negligence of personal hygiene, obsession to death and dying, physical complaints often related to emotional strain (like stomach- or head-aches and fatigue), apathy or difficulty focusing, unresponsiveness to praise, discarding prized possessions, sudden cheer after depressive episodes, verbal expression of strange thoughts, and the penning of one or multiple suicide notes. In other words, there are many warning signs and symptoms of suicide and depression that should be spotted and addressed as soon as possible. Recognition and appropriate subsequent response could be life-saving. This shows that unusual or strange behaviour should be addressed, as it may end up preventing a death.

Another vital step in recognising signs of depression and suicide is identifying risk factors, which, according to Johns Hopkins, may include mental health issues, substance dependence, impulsive tendencies, traumatic events, family history of suicide, mental health disorders or violence, past attempts, weapons or dangerous substances in the home, previous jailtime served, and exposure through other people. This illustrates that suicide has many potential causes, and knowing those causes might help in recognising sensitive groups of people. In other words, it's important to recognise risk factors and address them as necessary in order to maintain a safe environment for more susceptible individuals. However, there's more to suicide than just knowing what to look for.

While recognising these signs is a great first step, it's not the extent of the action one should take if signs are displayed. As an article from Healthline states, if signs of suicide or self-harm are displayed in yourself or someone you know, you can reach out to trusted friends or adults, or consider calling or texting an emergency number (911, 800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-662-4357 SAMHSA National Helpline, text "HOME" to 741741, or 988) if necessary. If possible, it's important to remove any dangerous objects or substances from the suicidal person, stay near, listen, and provide a strong support system. On a fundamental level, what this evidence shows is that reaching out to a psychiatric professional or other trusted adults is often a good step to take if risks or symptoms are identified, and it's essential to recognise signs, symptoms, and risk factors and to be as non-judgemental and supportive as possible in order to prevent fatalities.