Youth suicide Dissertation Example

Youth Suicide: Literature Review

Statistics show that an individual normally dies after every 16 minutes intentionally through suicide across the globe hence one can’t deny that it is a societal anomaly (Ishaq & Shah, 2014). Literature reveals that the youth or the adolescents are the major victims of cases of suicide. The major concern is that these cases are on the rise hence the need to pay close attention to minimize its prevalence. Studies have identified risk factors and proposed interventions that can be helpful in preventing or managing psychological problems. Some of the risk factors include age, gender, marital status, and race. Interventions for a suicidal youth may include psycho-education of health professionals and adequate counseling among others. Becoming suicidal is a long process that normally stretches over the years contributed by various risk factors. It may include suicidal ideation, planning and finally attempting. The paper brings out a review of different articles or studies conducted on issues relating to youth suicide.

Introduction

Suicide may be defined as an intentional self-inflicted death. Today, it is prevailing as a common issue and a serious cause of mortality across the globe. It is normally considered a psychiatric problem which should not be overlooked because the prevalence in the society is on the rise. Different researchers have conducted various studies that relate to suicide. There have been controlled studies on suicidal behavior among the youth, suicide risk factors and psychological interventions among others subjects.

An empirical study conducted on “Suicide ideation, Planning and attempts” reveals that suicidal behavior is a process in varied lengths that normally stretches over several years (Levinson et al., 2007). Suicidal ideations involve thoughts in a person’s mind as a result of certain problems and worthlessness, leading to prioritizing death as the best option. The article mirrors the notion that youth suicide is prevailing as a serious issue which needs to be given close attention. The youngest age group reported the highest odds of an impulsive suicide attempt. The researchers extracted and interviewed a representative sample of 4,859 respondents from the “National Population Register of non-institutionalized residents,” aged 21 or older (Levinson et al., 2007). Based on this article, the suicidal ideations in teenagers are associated with multiple external and internal factors such as lack of parental support, depression, stressful events, child sexual abuse, family history of suicidal behaviors and drug abuse. Other causes include same-gender orientation, psychopathology, body image dissatisfaction and suicide contagion among others. The youth are more likely to commit suicide than older adults as the study reveals that over 60% of the respondents who ever thought of attempting suicide did it for the “first time before the age of 35.” About 40% of the first ideation cases occurred before the age of 20 (Levinson et al., 2007). Therefore, youth suicide is a prevailing serious concern that needs to be addressed.

According to Daniel and Goldston (2009), suicidal behaviors are developmentally mediated. The article also supports the notion that suicidal behavior among the youth is a public health problem due to the high rates of attempts during their development period. Nonlethal suicidal behaviors are also the primary reasons for psychiatric emergency visits as well as hospitalizations. Age, being one of the risk factors of suicidal behaviors, it can be argued that interventions for psychological problems at various points in people’s lifespan need to be developmentally tailored. However, this has not been the case. The article is opposed to the fact that the youth are treated with varied interventions that were originally developed for adults (Daniel & Goldston, 2009). The interventions that seek to address suicidal behaviors in adults should be varied with those that seek to address suicidal behaviors among the youth. For instance, an adolescent can be more impulsive and may also have different time perspectives compared to adults. It is based on five quasi-experimental studies conducted by Daniel and Goldston (2009) to examine the utility of interventions, particularly for suicidal youth. The article argues that it is unlikely a “one size fits all” intervention will prove effective for all suicidal youth given the heterogeneity among the suicidal youth attempters (Daniel & Goldston, 2009). Thus, it is vital to consider specific contextual and development factors in relation to youth suicidal behavior.

An article/study titled “Suicide and suicide risk factors” authored by Masango, Rataemene, and Motojesi (2008) reveals that the rates of suicides among youths aged between 15 and 24 are on the increase. The rates of suicide among males aged between 25 and 34 years have increased over the past decade by almost 30%. It implies that youth suicide should be a great concern considering the worrying trend. In the US, for instance, suicide has been found to be the leading cause of deaths in the age group of 15 to 24 years followed by car accidents and homicide. Suicide in South African accounts for 1.3 percent of deaths of individuals between the ages of 15 and24. However, this article differs with the previous studies by arguing that the suicide risk peaks at the age of 45 in men and 55 in women (Masango, Rataemane & Motojesi, 2008). Depression caused by varied risk factors is most commonly associated with youth suicide. The study utilized computerized database searches that covered a wide range of educational, occupational, health and other disciplines of research. Some of the risk factors identified in the study include age, gender, marital status, race, occupation, and religion. Not all cases of suicides are preventable, but methodological approaches to suicide risk assessment may help manage a patient who is at risk of attempting suicide as suggested by the study (Masango, Rataemane & Motojesi, 2008). As much as errors of judgment may be inevitable, an error of omission is preventable in case healthcare providers take their time to do a thorough risk assessment.

An article/study titled “Epidemiology of Suicide Attempts among Youth Transitioning to Adulthood” reveals that the likelihood of suicide attempts relies on changes of alcohol problems, depression, impulsivity and delinquency among other risk factors (Thompson & Swartout, 2017). The study aimed at assessing the possibility of different trajectories of suicidal behaviors as youth or adolescents transition into adulthood. The article mirrors the findings of other studies that highlight various risk factors associated with youth suicide. Suicide is one of the top causes of deaths for both adolescents and adults. The study relied on data from covering 13 years retrieved from the “National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.” The empirical study was based on 9027 respondents, and the results showed that 5.1% of the adolescents have a high likelihood of attempting suicide (Thompson & Swartout, 2017). Just like the previous studies, the article supports the notion that suicide risk varies as individuals transition into young adulthood and later older adulthood. However, there are certain interventions targeting the risk factors that may minimize the cases of suicide attempts. One of the interventions highlighted here includes psychological interventions.

A study conducted by Ishaq & Shah (2014) also brings out the concerns of increasing youth suicide as millions of people die as a result of suicide on an annual basis. Individuals use varied methods for this violent act, and some of such methods include self-inflicted assassinating by liquid or solid substances, vapors and gases. Other may prefer fire-arms, hanging, strangulation, submersion or piercing instruments among other methods. The study makes reservations that it may be challenging to identify or recognize individuals with suicidal ideation (Ishaq & Shah, 2014). Consequently, the health workers may not have the magic to change minds of people with such intentions. Therefore, it calls for a lot of effort, collaborations of various institutions and time to address this prevailing societal problem. The article agrees that youth suicide cases are preventable and are also worth preventing. In the past, suicidal rates have been minimized by training primary healthcare professionals as far as detection and management of depression are concerned. The article emphasizes on counseling as one of the best approaches to minimize depression that may lead to suicide attempts (Ishaq & Shah, 2014).

Conclusion

From the above literature review, it is evident that the youth are more “likely to commit suicide” compared to kids and older adults. It implies that youth suicide should be a great concern considering the worrying trend. The youth spend much of their time doing school-related activities, and academic difficulties may at times increase the risks for suicidal behaviors. One aspect that has impacted me about the research is the point that Suicidal behaviors are developmentally mediated. Suicidal behaviors normally have varied characteristics and also pose different burden as people develop across their lifespan. It implies that every single thing that happens in one’s life right from childhood may lead to suicidal behaviors in the future. This has changed my view about the effectiveness of the interventions. For instance, the depressed individuals need distinctive devotion and psychological treatment to help them reduce their miseries and help them make develop a sense of self-worth.

The study has reinforced my view that the cases of youth suicide are preventable and are also worth preventing. For instance, when a child shows a sign of depression, it is worth taking early interventions before the problem escalates and become something else. Although not all cases of suicides are preventable, certain methodological approaches may be helpful in managing a patient who is at risk of attempting suicide. Various interventions such as early recognition of depression, psycho-education of health professionals, adequate counseling, relevant public health measures and clinical evaluation of suicidal risks can help minimize the risk. Lives can be saved when the interventions are applied appropriately. However, it is vital to consider specific contextual and development factors in relation to youth suicidal behavior.

Reference

• Daniel, S., & Goldston, D. (2009). Interventions for Suicidal Youth: A Review of the Literature & Developmental Considerations. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors, 39(3), 252-268. http://dx.doi.org/10.1521/suli.2009.39.3.252
• Ishaq, M., & Shah, M. (2014). Suicidal Behavior among Teenagers: A Review. International Journals Of Endorsing Health Sciences Research, 2(1). http://aeirc-edu.com/wp-content/uploads/8download-full-paper1.pdf
• Levinson, D., Haklia, Z., Stein, N., Polakiewicz, J., & Levav, I. (2007). Suicide ideation, Planning and attempts: results from Israel National health surveys, 44(2), 136-143.
• Masango, S., Rataemane, S., & Motojesi, A. (2008). Suicide and suicide risk factors: A literature review. South African Family Practices, 50(6), 25-29.
• Thompson, M., & Swartout, K. (2017). Epidemiology of Suicide Attempts among Youth Transitioning to Adulthood. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence.