Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
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Teenage suicide ... is it worth it?<br />
By Shirtty Nf<br />
Rick teemed to hive U all. <strong>The</strong><br />
dds« vx> of « weil-lo-du family, be<br />
s **» abo • lop bright jtulera whh *<br />
-. prmniiing future.<br />
',. Lohnic, also from • well-to-do<br />
tualK aod an only child, «n a<br />
'trouNcd girl who had attempted<br />
vvtefcfe once, aedftbd. She and Rkk .<br />
fell in k>«, to ibe dUmay of their<br />
, pBr3n.wburvcnru.Uy tried to brcrX<br />
' up the coaplc.<br />
Fer>irf tnpted by their parents'<br />
vidouMtcu rjr) feeling a\ if there<br />
were no other idutkxi. Ri;k »nd<br />
Lttniemadea suicide pact, and that<br />
light. U*ey carried n out.<br />
<strong>The</strong> sccac just described may<br />
Kxud familial brcauie it is Imm the<br />
.' widely watched icccnt TV movie,<br />
' SimviRg, Although the drama wu<br />
. a fictional story based on fictional<br />
dnncten. the borror and epidemic<br />
efteewfe suicide today is very real.<br />
Abho^ teenage suicide occurs in<br />
All pans of the wcrld. it b the most<br />
widespread in the United States. -<br />
Suicide U lite wennd leading cauic<br />
of death (accidents aie first)<br />
amocg young adults aged 15 to 24.<br />
<strong>The</strong> teen suicide rate has tripled<br />
since 1970. Today, a b estimated that<br />
500.000 teem attempt suicide each<br />
year, with 5,000 of them actually succeeding.<br />
Tragically, these knocking<br />
•umbers may actually even be higher<br />
became many suicide cases go totally<br />
unreponed. Fuiihcroorc, the<br />
number of trcn suicides arc predicted<br />
to rise even higher in the years to<br />
COfDC.<br />
<strong>The</strong> obvious question is; why are<br />
so many teens taking their own live*?<br />
Expcru believe that almost<br />
anything could trigger a widdal urge<br />
• in a teen. Because the "teca" years<br />
are the very difficult years of transition<br />
from child to adult, teens must<br />
accept new responsibilities and oew<br />
challenges. It is during ibe teen years<br />
that a person becoraes truly<br />
vulnerable, aod with same teens finding<br />
the stress tad pretuirei of<br />
"growing up" loo much in handle,<br />
they ultimately chootc to end the<br />
pressure* by taking iheir lives. Today's<br />
society it placing mote and<br />
more pressure on its adolescents to<br />
compete, to achieve, to succeed, to<br />
be better than the next person...the<br />
list goes on.<br />
Denny Hotiey, a 13-year-old, hung<br />
hinuclf last summer after repeatedly<br />
telling his mutter, "If there were<br />
one less mouth to feed, maybe 'kings<br />
would be better."<br />
Danny's father was a military man<br />
on suipvncnt ovenev, wnuc hu<br />
funUy stayed in Cslifoinia. T1)ey<br />
were Mrug|ting to make eads meet,<br />
ml Dareiy. being me ekfca child. feU<br />
However, the blame canr from per*<br />
son to person.<br />
Betty, a high tdool ttulent in Redwood<br />
City, believes people think of<br />
suicide as "a way out."<br />
"When you're derpcrate. there<br />
doesn't icem to be any other soruuon.<br />
Sometime* I'll hear it on the news<br />
that tome kid has killed himself, and<br />
I say to myself. *what if I did it?'<br />
Sometimes you really start to wonder<br />
why you exist when life is so<br />
miserable. 1 mink people who kill<br />
ihcnuclvcs btlicvc that suicide ends<br />
the pain ol living." *<br />
Like Deny, many teens do contemplate<br />
Tilcide after a friend or<br />
anotiicr teen in their community has<br />
killed himself. This diitutbing<br />
dominn eftect of suicide does occur.<br />
Several years ago, after a boy had<br />
Uwc and killed himself, su ether<br />
Today's society is placing more<br />
and more pressure on its adolescents<br />
to compete, to achieve, to succeed,<br />
to be better than the next person ...<br />
responsible for his family's welfare<br />
Besides the tremendous pressures<br />
of "being responsible." many c*Ser<br />
factors do account for the high teen<br />
suicide rate:<br />
Some bUme the working parent*<br />
(especially the mother), for not having<br />
time to spend with their children<br />
anymore. <strong>The</strong> family unit, the image<br />
of the traditional "family* , Is not<br />
whit U used to be. Family violc*wc<br />
has alio increased over the yean, SA<br />
well as the divorce me.<br />
Since 1 $61<br />
299 Bayshore Blvd.<br />
San Francisco, CA<br />
(415) 826-4880<br />
teenagers in his town look theii own<br />
lives within a two HCCL periai.<br />
What kind of teen commits suicide?<br />
Tern uiicMe encomruues all social<br />
and econrmic barrien. A teen w-ho<br />
S from a wealthy family is jtut as<br />
tiny M cemmh tuicvk a* a teci who<br />
ii rock-broom pocr. <strong>The</strong> suident<br />
body president or foothill team capuimijtul<br />
as littiy to commit mickte<br />
as the (Uss "weinlo" uf outcast.<br />
Howe-.er. as described by Dr.<br />
Pamela Cantor ir. the February IB,<br />
Vtr Ixmtlt. San* S, 19V. tap »<br />
JWURE<br />
"Ninety percent r* -nerr^Cen are<br />
female. Roearch Indicate) that this<br />
type is usually a firstborn child,<br />
unusually dote to her mother and<br />
able to give help, but unabie to accept<br />
it hertctf. He* father k often absent<br />
ph)itca!ly anc/or psychologically,<br />
and if the parents are divwted.<br />
she blames herself ft-r the split and<br />
vfcwi herself as bring abandoned.<br />
"Three out of four adofescentk who<br />
commit uiicidc me boys. Such a bo><br />
is o^en a ytmingcr child who tends to<br />
kuT things iiuk*e. He has Isimed<br />
that he has to scUe bis proldctm on<br />
his own *ai u unabTc to jeejt nclp.<br />
A toer, he may be from aa> social<br />
<strong>class</strong> — a poor or an iffbent home<br />
where he feels hljh presrore to<br />
achieve. In cib'ier case, he tries to<br />
please hit parcnti, but feels he is not<br />
rccognuid and appreciated for who<br />
an! what he is."<br />
When a teen expresses suicidal<br />
thoughts, such as, "I wish I were<br />
dead." or ihrcatcns suicide, none of<br />
these actions should be ignored.<br />
Other suicidal warning signs such<br />
as abnormal behavior (constant<br />
depression, etc.) and withdrawal<br />
from normal habits ard activities<br />
should ako not be ignored.<br />
Suicide prevention center; and<br />
suicide hotlines can be fin^d<br />
throughout the country. However, if<br />
a teen refutes to seek counseling for<br />
his problem;, friends or relatives<br />
ihould not be aftiid to get help. A<br />
uiKidal teen feels at if theic is no<br />
solution to hi* problems.<br />
Suicide ii a tear) pbenotneaaa.<br />
Before a leca decides to commit<br />
suicide, he tbculd envision the facet<br />
aid think of the fulirp of Aose he<br />
would leave behind — his family and<br />
friends, adrice that rs given by<br />
tcvcral suicide prevention<br />
counselor*.