Teen Suicides On the Rise

I think sometimes as adults we forget that teens may not be grown yet, but they are still human and just like us they have emotions. The (CDC) Centers for Disease Control recently released new reports that teen suicides are on the rise. Reports show an 8% rise in suicides among our youth, the greatest one-year increase in 15 years. Some people will read this and say, I don't know any adolescents that have committed suicide or have even had these thoughts. That maybe true, but I don't believe that there is a person who doesn't know at least one individual suffering from some form of depression, your just not aware of it. Last year's study show 20% high school students have suicidal thoughts and suicides are the third leading cause of deaths in teenagers.

Parents need to be looking out for signs of depression to be able to get there child some help. As Mothers and Fathers we need to know our children enough to notice if there mood changes drastically, they stop enjoying things they once loved, they start spending more time alone sitting in there room, says frighten things related to hurting themselves and if they appear that something is bothering them, speak up and ask. Becoming a teen is not an easy process. Try to remember when you were young and all the emotions you went through. Depression is an illness and when it's left untreated it can become fatal. Parents I'm not saying be your kids best friend but we have to talk to our children, ask them about there day, how is everything going in school and just pay attention to how they are behaving. Teenagers are good at hiding how they feel and if they are feeling worthless, unloved or that they are better off dead, well these thoughts didn't come over night. Teens committing suicide by hanging, suffocation and poison is on the rise. I'm a single mother of four so I know it's not easy for us to keep up with our sons and daughters every move but we have to try. Have some one on one with your kids as often as possible, because you don't want to wait till its too late and you come home one day to your son or daughter laying there lifeless all because you assumed everything was fine. Nobody wants to go through this and I pray for the parents out there that are in grief presently from losing a child to suicide. Parents don't believe this has nothing to do with you because your kids aren't depressed or having suicidal thoughts, because this is about teen suicides on the rise so you want to get educated on the first signs of depression so that this number doesn't continue to elevate and your child doesn't become apart of that growing rate in the future.

We all get down every now and then, but if it's becoming day after day, week after week then there is something wrong.

The symptoms will probably be different for every child but there are some key signs to look out for such as; loss of appetite, they seem to be tired most of the time, losing interest in things they once enjoyed, there grades begin to drop or you start to see signs of drug and alcohol use. Parents if you believe your son or daughter is suffering from depression I urge you to get them some help. Treatment is a phone call away and medicine doesn't always have to be the first option. There's therapy and sometimes that's all the child needs is someone to talk to so lets be certain our teens are living healthy and having more positive thoughts then negative ones.

By: Olympia Martinez

To learn more on teen suicides and what you can do to help follow the links below.

http://www.ivillage.com/teen-suicide-rate

http://www.wuft.org/news

http://dawn.com