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Expository Essay: Third Leading Cause Of Teen Suicide

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Expository Essay: Third Leading Cause Of Teen Suicide
Expository Essay

Final Project: Expository Essay
Victoria Dupuy
Com 150
May 18, 2010
Leslie Phillips

Academic, social and athletic pressures can push teens to the brink of disaster and even lead them to commit suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “suicide is the third leading cause of death between 10 and 24 year olds” (Suicide Prevention, para. 1). Pressure and depression is the most common factor leading to teen suicide. The pressures teenagers are facing today is intense and many are not able or taught how to cope. A survey of 70 teenagers and a handful of adults recently conducted by the Congressional Student Advisory Council in Santa Clara County, San Jose, California indicated that …show more content…
5). Suicide has been increasing since the decline in early 1990s to the early 2000s. Suicide rate is up 6% for 15 to 24 year olds and 100% for 10 to 14 years old states the Teen Suicide Statistics website (n.d). The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center conducted a survey of high school students and found that “almost 1 in 5 teenagers had thought about suicide, about 1 in 6 teenagers had made plans for suicide, and more that 1 in 12 teenagers had attempted suicide in the last year” (Teen Depression, article 1, para. 4). Both genders are part of this issue. Teen girls tend to think more about suicide than teen boys, but boys are more likely to take their lives. Girls prefer to either take pills or cut themselves. These ways are less violent and it allows them to “stage” their appearance. In the girls’ mind, this method is a more romantic means to their end. Boys are likely to use more violent methods, such as firearms or hanging, which is why boys tend to succeed more than girls (Teen Suicide Statistics, para. 7 - 8). Even though there are many factors that contribute to suicide, depression is …show more content…
First, society needs to redefine Success. One of the definitions for success is the attainment of wealth. Society and the media define success as how much money one has, looks, winning or being the best at something, friends, and how much attention one gets. External success does not mean that there is internal success. Paul (2010) “External success actually does nothing to fill the inner emptiness that leads to depression, anger, substance abuse and other forms of addictions” (para. 7). Paul suggest if success could be redefined as love, kindness, generosity, caring, compassion, empathy and understanding toward ourselves and others and how one contributes to society, this could help teenagers cope with the challenges life brings. Talk to teenagers. Don’t be afraid to talk about suicide and pressure. It will show them that they are loved. Set the stage for teenagers to have the space to talk. Driving in the car, taking a walk, over dinner are all ways to give space for teenagers to engage in conversation. Talking with teenagers will help them to feel comfortable talking about challenges in their lives (White River Academy, n.d). Listen to teenagers. Encourage teenagers to talk to about feelings but avoid getting angry or dismissing their problems as trivial (Teen Suicide Statistics, n.d). Don’t over commit with extracurricular activities, allow downtime to
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