The Growing Rates Of Adolescent Suicide And Ways Of Prevention

In the event that an adolescent battles with depression, has a mental disorder, or suffers from substance abuse and ultimately follows through with plans to commit suicide it devastates and affects the entire network of family, friends, and community. The shock and grief that consumes a person after losing an individual to suicide is overwhelming. At this time, the most effective form of suicide prevention is education. It is increasingly important to promote evidence-based prevention and to successfully teach people how to recognize the warning signs of suicide. Evidence-based practice has been defined as the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of communities and populations in the domain of health protection, disease prevention, health maintenance and improvement. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the growing health concern of adolescent suicide and to determine evidence-based practice procedure.

A current problem that is occurring among many adolescents in today’s society is the growing health concern of adolescent suicide. The underlying risks that can lead a young person to contemplate committing suicide include psychological, environmental, and mental illness issues. Many young people become suicidal when they live in an environment that involves family violence, including physical and sexual abuse, those individuals who are confused about their sexual orientation, and those who are the unfortunate victims of bullying. A suicidal person simply wants their pain to end.

Unfortunately, dealing with the loss of a family member to suicide is no stranger and a overwhelmingly familiar feeling. Zach committed suicide. He struggled with depression and it seemed he simply could not believe that life for him would get better. The lasting effect it has left on family is brutally devastating. Zach did what he thought at the time was the only way to make his suffering end. However, the entire extended family struggles every day to go on without him. They live with unanswered questions and blame themselves for not knowing what was about to happen. The lack of education and knowledge that was needed to see the pain that Zach battling is primarily to blame. Zach was an athlete and he was good at most anything he attempted. However, somehow, he struggled with feeling unworthy and could not bring himself to continue living the life he was given.

Practicing evidence based prevention means using the best available resources, research, and data throughout the entire process of planning and implementing suicide prevention efforts. Evidence based prevention includes; engaging in evidence based practice, or evidence based public health, and developing evidence based programs. Making decisions that are based on the best available scientific evidence is crucial for a positive outcome. Therefore, suicide prevention efforts are more likely to succeed if they are guided by the best evidence available. Two successful evidence based interventions programs include A New Hope and the Re-Embracing Life projects. Both are home based interventions that focus on youth aged ten to nineteen who have made a suicide attempt. Community mental health workers act as case managers, patient advocates, and family educators for youth and their families. A New Hope is a brief, four hour intervention that was adapted from an evidence based program included in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. It consists of a twenty minute video and a short workbook that youth work through with their families. The video demonstrates the serious impact of a suicide attempt on individuals, families, and the community. After the video, the mental health workers discuss the film, develop a safety plan, and use problem-solving and motivational techniques to reinforce positive aspects of treatment.

Suicide is at epidemic proportions both in the United States and across the globe. Yet, it is a preventable public health problem. Nurses practice on the front-lines and have the greatest number of opportunities to identify and intervene with suicidal patients. Most registered nurses have little or no training in how to assess, evaluate, treat, or refer a suicidal patient. Because of this lack of training, RN’s feel ill-prepared and afraid to talk to patients about suicide. Training RN’s on how to assess, evaluate, treat, and refer a suicidal patient is key to suicide prevention. Research suggests that once RN’s are trained in suicide assessment, they realize it is no different from assessing for any other illness and are then able to help those with suicidal tendencies.

At this time, the most effective form of suicide prevention is education. It is increasingly important to promote suicide prevention and to successfully implement evidence based practices to teach people how to recognize the warning signs of suicide. More adolescents struggle with thoughts of suicide that most people realize. The signs and symptoms may persist for extended periods of time, even years, without being detected by those close to them. The major reason that it may go undetected is because individuals who are transitioning from a child to a preteen and then from a teen to a young adult are already prone to being moody and introverted. They tend to become distant while trying to cope with the new developments that are happening with their bodies. Dealing with a teenager isn’t easy. Determining if their behavior problems are just common teenage hormones or something more serious is hard to distinguish, but necessary. When a serious problem is not detected correctly and goes untreated a child can be faced with debilitating setbacks that alter their entire personality and limit their everyday abilities. As all this is happening they begin to think that the only way to make it stop is to end their life. In conclusion, there is a substantial lack of education and public awareness regarding adolescent suicide and applying evidence based practice programs is vital and crucial to aid in the prevention of these types of tragedies. This country needs to be a society that simply will not tolerate the intolerable. There are numerous evidence based suicide prevention programs that teach people how to recognize the signs of suicide. These programs take many forms, such as, school and community programs, screening and peer support programs, and general suicide awareness education. Is it possible if there was more public awareness surrounding adolescent suicide that there would be less attempts? The answer is an astounding yes! Zach was a light in a lot of people’s lives. His shining smile, that he often hid, could light up an entire room. His presence is deeply missed, and the pain of his death will continue to sting forevermore.