Teenage and adult suicide.

gnasher

Suicide is not the easy way out when it happens, it is the ONLY way out. Those who say suicide is selfish should look to themselves and ask if their own "selfishness" was the straw that broke the camel's back. There is no easy answer to this problem

yummy

I fully agree with H.J. but would further add that our mental health services are underserviced. Early signs such as withdrawl from normal activities need to be picked-up on by family members, educators and others close to our teens. I personally sponsor the teen hotline..everyone with or without teens in their life can do their bit. Programmes that teach children self-esteeme, goal setting and leadership should be part of the school curriculum as not all families can afford to send their children to such courses. Having some kind of faith I believe is also very helpful to raising resilient children and help carry them through their teenage years. K.J.

tassiegirl

I fully agree with H.J. but would further add that our mental health services are underserviced. Early signs such as withdrawl from normal activities need to be picked-up on by family members,...

I agree with yummy. Our mental health services are good but there are not enough beds and staff to help people who really need these services and to follow up after they leave hospital. We need a lot more beds in Melbourne for people that suffer eating disorders eg anorexia and bullimia. There is only 16 beds at the Austin Hospital and very few elsewhere. Mental illness is much more common than people think and shouldn't be swept under the carpet. The longer you take to seek treatment, the harder it is to treat. I would like to see it talked about more at high school and for psychiatric treatment to be more readily available for children and teenagers who need it. Also it should be easier for the family to intervene and get medical help for their relative suffering a mental illness. My sister was only admitted to hospital after she almost died from anorexia. That is just not good enough.

Anonymous

I believe this is social problem, our families , friends, neighbours and the communities at large could save lives just by being more caring or even observant noticing unusual behaviour. Daylight and another human being showing interest in another life can sure save lives and offer a view of the world from a brighter perspective. Govt bodies could be more active in getting social workers adn education programmes to deal with the issues that are driving people over the edge, particularly issues relevant to teens.

polly

Its not just black and white there are shades of grey when it comes to suicides & kids who cut themselves e.g there are ones that come from a really loving positive "true spiritual" not religious families but unfortunately there are just not enough resources, information or support out there for parents who have suicidal teenagers... who have low self esteem from piers,teachers and just plain bullies...then starts the roller coaster of trying to numb the pain of feeling the way they do so they start drinking and doing drugs just to get through the day the teenager then tries to fit into society and become someone they can finally be proud of in their own mind, but they then get down trodden in the work place because they still haven't any self esteem they are depressed, which exaserbates everything then starts the drugs to kill the pain even more then a few years go by, an they have a break down at 26 where their whole world just falls apart they dont know whats going on but the mental health dont get to the bottom or find out what drugs they have been taking so they treat the symptoms of paranoia, anxiety, depression, ....attempted suicide ... with anti psycotic drugs and anti depressants and Im not saying I have an answer but if we can only be there for them when they overdose (if it doesnt take their lives)to pick up the pieces and love them back to health we have to be pro active in our kids lives when we get the phone calls in the middle of the night 3 states away, to just drop everything and go and rescue them and bring them home to the safety of family and love for them to finally decide what, who and where the heck did that come from... I know I am one of the lucky ones but not totally out of the woods yet my son is now 29 has dropped mental health, and himself gone off 2 very heavy dosed anti-psychotic and 2 very strong anti depressant drugs by himself and has had no more suicide attempts for over 12 months we still live in that safety net one day he will grow mature(when they start taking drugs they then have to go back to that age and re learn all the things they missed out on and learn to retrust the ones who have loved him through) and I agree if people treated people the way they want to be treated I believe a lot of lives can be re built and saved ......we need to risk everything...so they can become strong.

Chucklespope

All the money in the world isnt going to help and I"m sick and tired of it being someone elses problem. I think a small amount of awareness in schools could help by maybe just a one hour session ever month on feelings and what is available out there if these feelings are part of your life. Being afraid of ridicule or invasion of privacy can be a big problem for younger people. Parents of these teens need to stop being defensive OH OH its not my fault and those "thereapists" at schools need to stop making parents feel they need to be defensive. It should be all about how do we address the problem not who caused it because sometimes the cause can't be removed so the person has to learn how to cope with the negatives.

beck

suicides can be prevented if Maental Health gets more funding, the problem is that the psycologistsa nd psychitrists are negligent and do not diagnose depression until it is to late

wormy

How can we study the reasons when feeling this way is so taboo. Im not suicidle but i know people who r. If u mention ure sucidle ure crazy when i believe most people feel this way at sum stage of their lives

elle

very common in our day and age pity that young adults can not afford to seek help. help should be available for all who need it.

SexySimo

Speaking from experience here, because I have personally been through this.

Everyone seems to be thinking of this from the wrong perspective in my opinion.

Suicide is often linked with emotional disorders, most commonly linked to depression. However people aren't born this way. There is often a whole series or small events, or one major event which causes this and it can be difficult to get out of.

To fix this issue, instead of finding a solution to the already unstable individuals, we need to be tackling the issues which CAUSE this. Violence, bullying, harrasment, drugs/alcohol, etc...

In my opinion, people let this slide way too often. Lots of people laugh at other's expense and get away with it. People nowadays seem to tolerate alcohol and drug use because its the individuals "choice". Teachers at school ignore bullying. Males are at times violent towards women, but what most people fail to see is that often females are extremely cruel to men, and there is this whole perception that males are meant to be tough and "take it".

You wanna lower suicide rates? The whole society needs changing. The services that are available at the moment for troubled individuals is fantastic, however not everyone seeks this help.

This issue is way too complex for a simple "fix" with whatever. Some things work. Some don't.

That's all I have to say cause this is bringing up past issue for me.

gnome

You know there are many issues surrounding suicide, from suffering from a traumatic event that leaves you with PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,) or feeeling alone and unable to communicate woth others due to feelings of inadequecy, to many other matters including being caught do something illegal and thinking that this would be the best wayout or being contunually bullied. One thing we must always do and that is to think about who will be left to deal with those questions like "why didn't we see it> Or I didn't realsie it would have accected them like that" If we all learned to be more accepting of each other we would probably see less of this. We as a society must stop turning our backs on each other and thinking that it will be alright, and take some time to think about our friends or for that matter our enemies and try to see what they see and how we can make things better. You know just saying hello to someone can make a difference, or how are you, can maybe save a life. .

Gerry1945

People seem to have lost the ability to solve even the smallest problems. They also think doing dangerous thing such as drug taking for fun writing all over peoples property riding on train roofs as if they just want to die. So why are they doing this....killing their mates girlfriends in street races every week....I think all hope values etc are well anfd truly lost. As they say wake up and smell the roses.

Hartmut

People seem to have lost the ability to solve even the smallest problems. They also think doing dangerous thing such as drug taking for fun writing all over peoples property riding on train roofs...

Hi there, I have not been here for a while.
In my comment (5th Sept. 2008) I said that there is an almost total lack of spiritual (not religious) values as a reason for suicides, that may need qualifying.
In individual cases religion (or being religious) may be helpful and useful, but overall our 'organised' religions (and the fanaticism that comes with it!) have brought more wars and sufferings than almost anything else.
True Spirituality is not concerned with pushing ones ideas and believes on someone else - at the point of a sword or gun!
True Spirituality is only concerned in expanding the knowledges of the God Energy Source - we ALL come from and are connected with. This God - Knowledge is 'out there' for anyone - as in 'Seek and You will Find' without you having to join or toe the (religious) line with anyone, a group, or any 'organised' religion.

SEEK - and you WILL find that you are a part and a manifestation of that which is known as God. There will be way-showers (spiritual teachers like a Jesus, Buddhism, philosophers, or wise man like a Gandhi ) who can point you in the right direction, but eventually you have to stand on your own feet and walk by yourself to your chosen goal.
When you are at your darkest hour, know and learn - that you are not alone but an important part of the Totality of God.
There is no separation, we are all connected. Everyone is like a leave on the tree of God.
We have lost to see that tree in our forests of loud and negative distractions. We must find out again where that tree is - and who we really are. H.J.

cheeky

People have to be educated on how to find signs of depression, drugs and alcohol, so we can seek the help they need.

pipsqueak0810

People have to be educated on how to find signs of depression, drugs and alcohol, so we can seek the help they need.

I agree! The problem isn't going to be made any better by throwing money into hospitals etc. People need more education about depression and other causes of suicide and suicidal ideation and it needs to be done before they end up either hospitalised or dead.
I have the pleasure of working in a mental health unit that is part of a private hospital and although it is a low risk unit it amazes me that these patients are only being educated about what depression is now they are actually in hospital.
There is only so much organisations like lifeline and beyond blue can do to support those that seek their help but what about educating children in school as early as grade 7? If people knew their options and the support that is out there maybe they would actually utilise it before its too late. Oh and educating parents and teachers about how to identify signs of mental illnesses?
We may not be able to stop people from committing suicide but if there is early enough intervention we may be able to prevent it in children as young as 13!!

kezza052

I lost a nephew to teenage suicide 3 years ago. I still could not believe be took his own life (what a waste) he has left a little boy without a father and all the people behind that loved him so much. I wish he had looked for help as I know what he went through with his thought's. There is not enough help out there for people like him and the Government should be helping all these very young people in our society

kezza052

We will never stop asking the "WHY" when someone takes their life. I have known a member of the community I prefer not to label, a very loving mother of 3, a father of 3, and my own cousin a...

Suicide is just a waste of a life. People do not know what they do to family and friends. They leave behind a guilt as people just don't understand why somebody would want to do this to themselves. Life is getting harder for people to cope with and some people are really nasty and horriable to people(PEER PRESSURE).

Jack

I lost a nephew to teenage suicide 3 years ago. I still could not believe be took his own life (what a waste) he has left a little boy without a father and all the people behind that loved him so...

We will never stop asking the "WHY" when someone takes their life. I have known a member of the community I prefer not to label, a very loving mother of 3, a father of 3, and my own cousin a father of 2, to all take their own lives. All were adults, so my question is at what point can't an adult ask for help. Teenagers I can understand being to scared to ask for help. But adults it is something I will never understand, at what point they feel there is no return. I have to admit all 3 of the parents were separated from their partners at the time. But what about the children, is it really fair to them to say "I can't go on" how do the children ever come to terms with what their parents have done. I live for the day I wake up in, and if anyone needs me for conversation I make sure I listen. If it only takes 20 mins or so out of my time, it's an ear I have lent, with great comp***ion.

Razorfish

For me that last line says it all "A friendly word or even a smile may save a life". How true. I reckon parents as well as governments and teachers have a big responsibility here. Values and being valued start from the home. If we get it right there things will surely improve.

Sherlock

I believe We very much lack in any cultral background and the family is very fractured.
We need to slow down and smell the roses, unjoy some time with friends not spend all are time chasing money.

It intrest me that you have put NOT religious. Since finding Jesus in my own life I have found what life is about ,who I am and where I am going which has made a whole lot of diffrence to the way I think and live my life.

It's a pity there is still such a stigma regarding mental illness.
Every day give somebody a smile and say hello.
You might save a life if you just stop and listen. :0)

rachel44444

Goverenment should be running more aweareness programs for young and fragile.

i agree the Goverenment choose not to talk about suicide instead they sweep it under the rug many people are not aware of how many suicides there are in austraila each year

4mybabeez

I believe We very much lack in any cultral background and the family is very fractured.
We need to slow down and smell the roses, unjoy some time with friends not spend all are time chasing...

you are definately on the right track when you say religion plays a big part as it was only a strengthening in my faith that kept me alive when i was in a really bad place at one stage in my life . it is a constant battle for me every day but my prayers and family keep my chin up and on this earth

elle

I want you to ENJOY your life not UNJOY it . Oops LOL

Goverenment should be running more aweareness programs for young and fragile.

Sherlock

I believe We very much lack in any cultral background and the family is very fractured.
We need to slow down and smell the roses, unjoy some time with friends not spend all are time chasing...

I want you to ENJOY your life not UNJOY it . Oops LOL