Extra: Why Do Teens Try To Kill Themselves?

Dear Lord, you done took so many of my people
I'm just wonderin' why you haven't taken my life.
Like what am I doing right?”
– The Game

Most teens interviewed after making a suicide attempt say that they did it because they were trying to escape from a situation that seemed impossible to deal with or to get relief from really bad thoughts or feelings. At a particular moment dying may seem like the only way out. Some people who end their lives or attempt suicide might be trying to escape feelings of rejection, hurt, or loss. Others might be angry, ashamed, or guilty about something. Some people may be worried about disappointing friends or family members.

We all feel overwhelmed by difficult emotions or situations sometimes. But most people get through it or can put their problems in perspective and find a way to carry on with determination and hope. So why does one person try suicide when another person in the same tough situation does not? Why do some people deal better with life's difficulties than others? What makes a person unable to see another way out of a bad situation besides ending his or her life? The answer to those questions lies in the fact that most people who commit suicide have depression.

Depression leads people to focus mostly on failures and disappointments, to emphasize the negative side of their situations, and to downplay their own capabilities or worth. Someone with severe depression is unable to see the possibility of a good outcome and may believe they will never be happy or things will never go right for them again. Depression affects a person's thoughts in such a way that the person doesn't see when a problem can be overcome.

Depressed people don't always realize that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem in the same way that other people do. A teen with depression may feel like there's no other way out of problems, no other escape from emotional pain, or no other way to communicate their desperate unhappiness. Sometimes people who feel suicidal may not even realize they are depressed.

When depression lifts because a person gets the proper therapy or treatment, the distorted thinking is cleared. The person can find pleasure, energy, and hope again. But while someone is seriously depressed, suicidal thinking is a real concern. If you know someone who may be depressed or may be thinking about suicide, please tell your school guidance counselor, your teacher, or another responsible adult. Never keep it to yourself. As always…you can let us know and we will point you in the right direction.

Christina Hanson (Adolescent Health & Youth Development Consultant) @ (912) 414-9851

This world, this world is cold
But you don't, you don't have to go
You're feeling sad you're feeling lonely
And no one seems to care
Your mother's gone and your father hits you
This pain you cannot bare

But we all bleed the same way as you do
And we all have the same things to go thru

Hold on...if you feel like letting go
Hold on...it gets better than you know
-Good Charlotte

WWW Address: http://www.gachd.org/extra/why_do_teens_try_to_kill_thems.php