Suicide has become more common in our teens these days. “The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 2007) reported that in 2004, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 10-24-year olds and accounted for 4,599 deaths. ” (Siegel & McCabe, 2009). Depression during the teen ages show with different types of self-infliction. Depression could been shown through many types of what could be considered coping.
Depression can be shown through things that they do such as: drinking alcohol, the way they act at school, changing their look to what media believes they should look like, and self- injury. Identifying the warning signs and risk factors of depression can help the teen, and help save a life. Self-Injurious Behaviors (SIB) Self-Injurious Behaviors are behaviors that the teens self-inflict on themselves. “SIB is the deliberate infliction of harm to oneself, learned behavior can be difficult to control, some clinical approaches can help these distressed teens and their parents. ” (Campbell, 2008, p. Self-injury could be cutting, self-mutilation, causing injury to oneself, or eating disorders could be added in there.
“Depression and suicide are intricately intertwined among teens, with untreated depression being a leading cause of teen suicide. ” (King & Vidourek, 2012). Many teens the inflicted harm to themselves are most likely a teen with depression, and teens with depression are 12 times more likely to attempt or commit suicide from the emotion of the depression on them. “Early detection and intervention is critical to precenting suicidal or self-harmful behaviors.
Teen suicidal warning signs encompass three specific categories; 1) Behavioral warning signs, 2) verbal warning signs, and 3) stressful life events. ” (King K. A. , 2006), (King & Vidourek, 2012). Statistics. “Among 663 teens in a community-sample survey, 46% engaged in some form of SIB in the past year, and 28% engaged in serious, repetitive behaviors. ” (Campbell, 2008, p. 1) The behaviors are not limited to the ones said above, it could be picking at skin, pulling our hair, burning, and many other types.
Individuals with chronic illnesses can engage in SIB by not complying with treatment, such as a diabetic taking too much or too little insulin or an epileptic not taking medicine. ” (Campbell, 2008, p. 3). Yet there are other types people believe would be considered SIB but they probably are not. These could be getting many tattoos or piercing, maybe even the Native American Sun Dance, which would be a cultural behavior that may cause scarring. Other ways some adolescents try and cope with depression could be drinking.
Drinking could be an increased risk of suicide, attempted suicide, and other risk factors for adolescents. Drinking could also cause different problems for the adolescents who drink at an early age, such as brain damage, and an increased tolerance of pain. “Risk for suicide ideation and/or attempt was higher in young adolescents who report drinking alcohol as preteenagers, compared with self-reported nondrinkers. ” (McNarmara, 2010). Common Disorders of self-harm/ suicidal Teens. The different types of disorders would be any internalizing disorder, externalizing disorder, or any substance disorder.
Shame is also common and can be a major barrier to diagnosing SIB. ” (Campbell, 2008, p. 6). Adolescents will go to great length to hide their behaviors form their peers if they are ashamed by it. While some believe that they should stop, it is an over-powering will and are unable to stop their behaviors. There could be stressors that can cause the self-infliction and it could cause things to go to greater circumstances. Stressors can vary form parental limits, rejection, or failing to achieve an unrealistic goal that keeps escalating.
Most individuals with SIB report a similar sequence of events. There is a trigger event, usually involving a real or perceived feeling of loss, rejection or abandonment. The adolescent tries to resist the impulse to self-harm, feels the escalation emotional distress, engages in SIB, and feels immediate relief. (5) (Campbell, 2008, p. 6). The teen’s emotional state caused by the stressors can become overcome quickly and they feel like they have a control of the behaviors when causing self-harm. “SIB rapidly can become habitual and difficult to interrupt. Campbell, 2008, p. 6).
Teens can be bullied for their sexuality that may lead to depression, or self-harm. “Teens who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender are at elevated risk for negative mental health outcomes, including depression and suicide. ” (Noell, 2001). (King & Vidourek, 2012). The media has an ideal way of how teens should look and some teens try and look like the ideal teen,that normally leads to some sort of depression because they are not capable of being the way they want.
Some teens become so emotional from trying to become what is perfection, and they cause suicide thoughts when that cannot become the perfect way of media. Children and adolescents appear to be particularly vulnerable to outside influences. “Research in Germany identified significant imitation effects after the fictional televised railway suicide of a 19-year-old male. After the airing of this program, suicides by that same method for teenage males closest in age to the model increased by 147%. ” (Siegel & McCabe, 2009) Hiding Emotions. Adolescents may hide their emotion because of relationships with others.
They may have been in a relationship of some sort that was abusive and others may side with the other person causing the teen to feel like they deserved what they got. This causes the self-harm because it takes away the pain of what happened by causing the harm to themselves. The teens may also not be able to identify the emotional state they were in to be able to tell a therapist how they were feeling at the time. Clues to prompt assessment. Most teens will not volunteer to report the self-harm, but if asked to respond and they want help, they most likely will respond accurately to fix the self-harm.
Screening is done to determine if the person needs therapy to help them overcome the self-harm, and will determine if it has increased since they have started the self-infliction. “The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002) reported that within a 12-month period, approximately 19% of teens seriously consider attempting suicide, 15% formulate a suicide plan, 9% actually attempt suicide, and 2. 6% of adolescents suicide attempts are so serious that they require emergency medical treatment. ” (Siegel & McCabe, 2009).
Some behaviors that can be sported, would be wearing long sleeves, or pants in the hot weather, becoming isolated form peers and family, etc. Parents may see blood in usual spots on clothing, or noticing that a sharp instrument is missing form where they knew it was located. Therapy. Therapy is needed when treating SIB, because there are no FDA-approved medications to help treat the self-infliction. The therapy is focusing of skill or training of regulation of the teen’s behavior, tolerating distress, or maybe just improving relationships with others.
Although that is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) there are also other types of therapy that the teens can undertake. Such as, “. . . psychoanalysis, self-psychology, object relations, and interpersonal approaches . . . ” (Campbell, 2008, p. 9). Ways of self-therapy would be removing the items that they cause harm to themselves with, and then resorting them to listen to music, create art, write in a journal how they feel, or engage in physical activates alone, or by themselves. The treatment will be necessary if they ever thought about committing suicide, deepening cuts (if applicable), or attempted suicide.
