Suicide in America
There has been an epidemic of suicide lately. Did you know that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. According to statistics females are more likely to attempt suicide, while males are more likely to commit suicide. I believe suicide coincides with mental illness. Many individuals who commit suicide have been treated for self-harm injury or even psychiatric visits. There are also many people who aren’t aware of their mental imbalance and just categorize their emotion and health as abnormal but functional, until overwhelmed. Many of these deaths could have been avoided if it was more information about the behaviors being displayed to show people that they may be affected by this directly or indirectly.
What is Suicide?
Suicide means ending your own life. It is sometimes a way for people to escape pain or suffering. Suicide has taken America by storm. There has been a significant increase in the amount of suicidal deaths in the United States over time. Suicide awareness has increased but so has the incidents and attempts. Many have been using self-harm methods to ease the pain they hoard. There are many underlying reasons a person would commit suicide, but the number one reason is untreated depression. Many don't take depression serious but it's honestly more serious then they'll ever imagine. You have to take care of your mental health just as you take care of your physical health. Cause & Effect Many individuals suffer from untreated depression. The severity of it is actually more serious than it is taken in America. The approach being used in society to help prevent suicide are things like Hotlines, Clinical support, Medication, Hospitalization and other social media uses. Although America has established those things, the availability and concern differ upon state but the hotlines are for all states and can used 24-7. Although these methods are appreciated and effective for some, it's still not enough to reduce the issue. If life is as precious as we try to make it out to be than appreciation should be there for every human being. No one should be willing to take their lives over anything their lives should be embraced by them and everyone around them as well as vice versa!
Depression can be triggered from many factors. These factors can range from misfortune, rejection, dysfunctional family relationships, genetics, failed relationships, lost friendships, great disappointment, bullying, abuse of all sorts, traumas, the list goes on. Life can take a toll on you when faced with a problematic issues and unkind people that if not solved properly it can leave a long term effect on you. Suicide is a choice but usually the individual would say it was their last choice because they just couldn't make it here anymore. Their emotions got the best of them, the pain was unbearable and they felt no one was listening. Every person who has committed suicide shows indication of depression although if you want to get help you got to do more than just notice. Mental State “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being.” If a person is lacking in any of these areas their health is unbalanced and should be reviewed for better functioning in society. The mental structure of a person is a very emotional dynamic that stems all the way from childhood to current day. This is from learned behaviors through social development, family encounters, and interpersonal development. In order to solve any problem, everyone must understand that there is a problem that needs to be solved. One in four family members suffer at least from a mental disorder and their family is either uneducated on the issue and don’t approach the person in an appropriate manner. So exactly what are these illnesses? They are mood disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymic disorder, major depression, and major depression with impairment, personality disorder, and antisocial disorder, avoid-ant disorder, and borderline personality disorder, and also schizophrenia among both adults and children.
Changing the person’s environment can help but it will not heal a person or the people around them that are affected by their behavior. Society has to post more awareness globally, understand mental health services aren't always available and actually having someone there that you are in contact with daily to isn’t always the easiest because their mental capacities aren’t in the same realm of thinking. The poor, homeless, unemployed, low educated, victims of violence, migrants and refugees, indigenous populations, children, abused women and neglected elderly seem to have the highest risk factors in society so finding an approach for each should be tactful and careful. Only individuals with an open mind, empathy, patience and a clear understanding approach or try to treat a person of mental illness. Let alone research the topic to inform others on the issue at hand.
A person who experiences mental health issues are fully capable of understanding their intellectual and emotional potential; they just have a chemical imbalance when the issue looked at in a psychological way. The approach and concern from society should be changed in order to help decrease suicide and also the occurrence and frequencies of these illnesses in society. As a society we must honestly care more about these individuals that are suffering from life experiences while growing from a child to an adult. Many may believe race is a factor in this and honestly it’s not, a person’s environment and interactions actually shape their mental capacities or form a disability. No social group, personal status, sex, race, or age is excluded from many illnesses. With mental, physical, and social health care are definitely intertwined and when one functions poorly a person’s state mentally is affected. Stats and Facts Suicide isn't common just among the young but also the old. It is actually very common for an adult to commit suicide just as a teenager could. So for the critics who believe teens are just emotional and over exaggerated, you are a part of the problem. You have to acknowledge that people do try to help but only enough. There are very few who push the limits to exceed all. Depression can affect patients suffer in a way only they can comprehend. You have to show them attention, love, compassion, joy, etc... Even when they seem like they don't want it or enjoy it.
In America there’s a "Every man for themselves" mentality and this has caused years of problems. The lack of the togetherness. People believe no one is there for them because they have to be there for themselves. No one wants to help because they wasn't helped or didn't receive the help they anticipated. Although everyone receives help rather they acknowledge it or not because this country was not built by one man alone nor is it maintained by one man. According to Dr.Groth "suicide among young males is four times more common than young female, and they are occurring among even younger males some in their early teens." During college years males tend to commit suicide more than females. Things like stress, school, life challenges, relationships, sexual preference can play key roles in leading to depression. Males handle pain from situations differently than females and can act without considering the consequences. In today’s society one of the most sociable problems we have is the unconventional number of suicides happening among the adolescents. Suicide is a person choosing to say that they no longer feel wanted, loved, cared for, nor motivated about life. Suicide is a side effect of depression which an individual gathers from life experiences or social environment. Depression indeed is an behavior that is abnormal if more people had information on this illness it could reduce the significant amount of suicides we have in society. Depression is not limited to one person or culture although it can occur more so to certain groups and social statuses. Depression is most common among poor, homeless, illiterate, unemployed, low educated, victims of violence, migrants and refugees, indigenous populations, children, abused women and neglected elderly.
Suicide has increased rapidly on the list of the causes of death around the world. It was the third most common death for 10-14 years old which is considered the early adolescents entering the middle adolescents stage. So these individuals have not even experienced life’s full potential to even make the decision life isn’t worth living no more. The second most common suicide ages death ranges from 15-34 year old, and fourth and fifth among 35-44 and 45-64 year olds. The fact that we can die in so many ways and one of the leading CAUSES is actually a person taking their own life is disturbing. That shows how there’s a lot of distrust in every community, family, social events, or just in people period. And how detached the world is to the people in it and how the ways of the world affect each individual openly and inter-personally.
Purpose How aware are you of mental health issues in society. There is an individual who suffer from a mental illness on a day-to-day basis among you, rather they’re aware or not. And there aren’t many informed of these illnesses and may perceive a person's behavior as irrational and abnormal. Although the behavior is abnormal if more people had information on these illnesses it can reduce the significant amount of suicides we have in society. I believe as a unit of people of many distinct backgrounds we should come together and pay more attention to these health issues and the people they affect mentally and socially. As a society we can put together ways and also invest into treatment centers, special schooling, more counseling services in schools with better confidentiality for children and also any adults. The services for either a child or an adult should be taken into complete consideration with care for the best results individually.
I, myself was once you.
Sources “Investing In Mental Health.” http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/investing_mnh.pdf. World Health Organization, 2003. Web.
“Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity: A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General”. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Chapter 2 Culture Counts: “The Influence of Culture and Society on Mental Health.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44249/ , Aug 2001. E-book
