Too Many Suicides Part 2

Suicide and suicide attempts by children, adolescents are troubling with the fact that the first attempt surprises everybody, and as a result, prediction becomes difficult. Suicidal ideation is often a closely held secret. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and youth in United States. It is been estimated that about 12% of suicide attempts in our country are with adolescents and 90% of these by adolescent girls. Moreover, since 2010 there has been a 70% increase in suicide rate among girls ages 10 to 19. Ingestion of barbiturates, psychotropic drugs, tranquilizers and drugs combined with alcohol are typical. As far as childhood suicide attempts, they appear to be impulsive acts, often motivated by feeling badly treated. And by the desire to punish those who would grieve at their death. Often the child who threatens to kill himself is expressing rage towards parents, usually his mother. Those who do seriously attempt to kill themselves are usually emotionally disturbed with a pathological family situation as a rule with a very sick mother. Parental feelings toward the child include feeling the child was a burden and the child feels that he was expendable. Suicidal children often do not take part in school activities outside the classroom. They may have reading our learning difficulties. The child may also feel that he can no longer tolerate the pain of living and that his adaptive attempts to fill his need come to nothing. Regardless of the concept of death, he views it as a solution to his difficulties. Children suffer depression with behavioral and somatic symptoms as the outward manifestation. Essentially, they want to punish the significant persons in their life. A few statistics regarding suicidal behavior with children and adolescents. For example, 20 percent have a parent who attempted suicide; 40% have a parent, relative or close friend who attempted suicide; 72% have one or both natural parents absent from the home-divorced, separated or deceased; 84% of those with stepparents felt they were contending with being with a not wanting stepparent; 58% of the parents were married more than once; 16% have had serious problems with a current parent due to the parents alcoholism; and family show marked residential mobility. Specifically, an unusual number of school changes, and siblings leaving the home are common findings. To Be Continued