__________

English III
Ms. C_____
February 10, 2015
Teen Suicide
Depression is like being in the thickest fog you can ever imagine and not seeing a way
out. Karen Albertson stated this quote about depression when a womans daughter killed herself
after suffering from depression. Everyone should care about teens being depressed because it can
ultimately lead to suicide. Depression can lead to suicide, where there will be teenagers dying,
causing parents lose their children, and there is also the idea of drug use before death which
could have been the side effects causing the drop.
Suicide is one of the main killers of teenagers. When suicide is successful, there is one
more teenage gone from the world. David Hurcombe was a 17-year-old boy who had plans for
the future; but it October of 2001 he climbed the concrete wall dividing the train tracks near his
home. When a train emerged from the tunnel he jumped in front of it and was killed instantly
(Marcovitz 1). Many teens will look and act happy, but they may have a much darker side, one in
which they want to die. Too many teenagers are taking their own lives. In 2012, 4,600 teenagers
died by committing suicide (4,600 Reasons 1). 1.5% of our world population died by selfmurder when it could have been prevented. One of the biggest killers is not illness, it is suicide,
and once it happens there is one more person gone from the world, when it could have been
stopped. With teens dying, parents will lost their baby.
Secondly, parents are losing their children, and the deaths are being shown as a mere
statistic. A young woman named Miranda Smith took her own life after her father did in 2011.
Her mother did not want her to become a statistic and set out to offer help and hope for other

teens in distress (McClatchy 1). Some parents try to help others by speaking up. Another family
had to be told about their son Trevors death by a police chaplain. He told her that Trevor had
taken his own life and had been found by a man walking a dog (Reading the Signs 1). Trevor
did not receive any help and his parents now only have 1 child who has to grow up not knowing
why his brother is gone. No matter who kills themselves, it is still someones child. Sometimes it
isnt depression that will cause someone to take their own life, its drugs.
Lastly, illegal drugs can take away many things, including a life. Drugs have many side
effects, which can be worse than just getting high. One young man smoked spice, and after a few
hits he totally lost it and tried to kill his friend with a baseball bat. He is now in a hospital for the
criminally insane (Monson 1). Dugs can cause a suicide easier than depression. Illegal
substances can cause you to think and act differently. A side effect is illustrated when a young
man in Iowa smoked spice and within minutes took his fathers hunting rifle and shot himself
with it (Monson 1). If the young man wouldnt have smoked spice he may still be alive. Drugs
can cause worse side effects than just the euphoria of being high, they can result in death. A
reason for teens doing drugs could be that they think no one cares.
Also, many teens think that they are unloved and their family and friends would be better
off without them. Some youths just dont know how to feel. Teens admitted to feeling confused,
pressured, ignored, bored, lonely, afraid, angry, or tired (Marcovitz 16). Some people dont know
how to cope with their thoughts and don/t seek help. Many teens dont realize what they are
doing. Several teens find themselves entertaining thoughts that life isnt worth living (Marcovitz
23). When teens allow themselves to think such ideas they will start to truly believe that no one
cares. Without the support teens with start to think about death. Sometimes relationship troubles
with lead teens to think about worse.

Drama with friends can have more dire consequences than just a fight. Some friends can
tease a teen and they will take it the wrong way. In the case involving 17-year-old David
Hurcombe, investigators learned that he had been teased about his sexual orientation. He was not
gay but his friends saw him talking to a homosexual man at a party and they tauntingly suggested
that he was gay as well (Marcovitz 1). If Davids friends wouldnt have said anything, he could
still be alive and be an electrician like he wanted. When teens are outcasts they may feel worse.
Lack off peer acceptance will further isolate the troubled teen and with contribute to their despair
(Teen Suicide: A Growing Concern 1). If everyone could just accept each other, suicide could
be less common. People should just accept each other and not be judgmental to others.
Sometimes, problems with friends can lead to problems with family.
Conflicts with family can lead a teen to their decisions to end their life. Families
sometimes dont realize what is happening. Dysfunctional families sometimes teach the wrong
lessons about how to cope and can fail to provide that necessary security and emotional support
(Teen Suicide 1). A bad family can lead to conflicts more often with lead to despair and
possible suicide. Some families dont want anyone to know what happened. Families may
attempt to classify a suicide as an accident because of the shame and guilt associated with suicide
(Teen Suicide 1). If someone is covering up a suicide, they must know what they did wrong. A
family that has problems can lead to a dead teenager which they may try to cover up. Instead of
allowing a teen to take their life because of their family, help them.
If a teen is offered and encouraged help it can save their life. When a teen commits
suicide, their parents are losing their child. Miranda Smiths mother began speaking out after she
died, trying to send a message of hope to teach others (McClatchy 1). This mother tried to
prevent other parents from losing their kids. Also, other teens lose their friends which could

cause them to need help. The devastating losses of teen suicides at Pine Creek High School
prompted McKenzie Heath and 9 other seniors on student council to make suicide awareness a
priority (McClatchy 1). Those students are trying to help other teens before they commit suicide.
If you offer help to a disgruntled teen, then maybe you can save their life. If a teen gets help then
they get a better diagnosis.
A better diagnosis of what is going on can help the teen more. One way to get a better
diagnosis is through a mental screening. The New York Office of Mental Health (OMH)
recommends communities to conduct voluntary teen mental health screening (Mental Health
1). There are many people who agree with screening. If a teen is diagnosed early enough in their
depression they can get help. Teens diagnosed with depression may take anti-depressant
medication and attend an individual or group counseling session (Teen Suicide 1).
Antidepressants can help the teen if their problems is realized. If a teen is noticed soon enough,
they can get the help that they need. When teens are diagnosed, treatment options can be
explored.
Sometimes light treatment is needed, other times more heavy treatment is. Most of the
time treatment is not given. Some teens that suffer from mental illness dont receive proper
treatment of their symptoms arent recognized or ignored (Marcovitz 14). Some people just dont
care what happens. Sometimes other problems lead to the teens mental issue. Suicide teens who
also have a drug or alcohol abuse problem may need to enter a drug rehabilitation program (Teen
Suicide 1). Sometimes teens need more help than just for mental illness. Some teens get help but
not enough. Suicide teens need consistent, ongoing mental health support. When a teens life is at
risk hospitalization may be necessary (Teen Suicide 1). Teens may get support but not as much
as they need.

Teen suicide is a growing concern in the United States but not enough is being done to
prevent it. Suicide is the main killer of teenagers. The children are the future, so if they are dying
from not receiving help, what may happen down the road? When we lose teenagers their parents
are losing their children and other teens are losing their friends, but no one thinks of it that way.
A main reason that teens commit suicide is that they will abuse drugs in their days before their
death, which affects their mind to hard. In 2012, the same number of teens died by suicide as the
number of people in West Africa died from Ebola. Think of what we could do if we treated
mental health with the same vigilance.

Works Cited
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