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AM WRITING THIS AND THE NEXT ARTICLE BECAUSE I HAVE READ MORE THAN 4
BLOGGERS--UNFORTUNATELY ALL RIGHT WING SELF PROCLAIMED CONSERVATIVE
CHRISTIANS--SAY THAT SEX SHOULDN'T BE TALKED ABOUT IN SCHOOL--THAT
HOMOSEXUALS SHOULDN'T TEACH SEX EDUCATION--THAT ALL HOMOSEXUALS ARE
PEDOPHILES--THAT SEX EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL--THAT
PARENTS SHOULD BE THE OPNLY ONES TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT SEX!
WELL FOLKS THEY AREN'T TEACHING THEIR KIDS ANYTHING EXCEPT TO HATE
HOMOSEXUALS--WHICH IN SOME CASES MEAN THEMSELVES--THIS ARTICLE IS
BASICALLY NUMBERS BUT THE NEXT ARTICLE IS A PERSONAL ONE ABOUT ME AND
GAY TEENS!
Teen Suicide
Youth and elderly suicides are on the increase in the US. And, according to The
World Health Organization (WHO) over 786,000 people committed suicide around the
world in 1997. This is an effective suicide rate of around 10.7 per 100,000
population per year. To put this statistic in perspective, that is the
equivalent of one suicide every forty seconds, somewhere in the world.
Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in the US with 31,204 deaths
recorded in 1995. This approximates to around one death every seventeen minutes.
There are more suicides than homicides each year in the US.
From 1952 to 1992, the incidence of suicide among teens and young adults
tripled. Today, it is the third leading cause of death for teenagers aged 15-19
(after motor vehicle accidence and unintentional injury). Two-thirds of all
suicides under 25 were committed with firearms (accounts for most of the
increase in suicides from 1980 to 1992). The second most common method was
hanging, third was poisoning. Suicide is increasing, particularly for those
under 14 and in those over 65, while not the leading cause of death, the suicide
rate is extremely high.
Young men commit suicide successfully at a higher rate than women in all 30
countries listed below. In the US, the ratio between men and women was 4.1:1
while in young people 15-24 the average ratio is 5.5:1 and the ratio increases
with age within this group. In white males over 85, the suicide rate was
73.6/100,000 in 1993. For more information: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/10lc92c.htm;
www.nosuicide.com:80/stats.htm;
www/nimh.nih.gov/;www.nosoidice.com
"So You Wanna Kill Yourself? Gays and Suicide."
Gay men are six times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight
counterparts and the numbers increase exponentially during the holidays. This
story appears in the Dec/Jan 99 issue of Genre and examines the issues
behind why they are taking their own lives, and offers some solutions to the
holiday blues. (Also see our own # 7 Happy
Holidaze A report from P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
states that in a study of 5,000 gay men and women, 35 percent of gay men and 38
percent of lesbians have considered or attempted suicide. The statistics are
even higher among gay teens: The Department of Health study indicates that gay
youth are up to six times more likely to attempt suicide than straight teens,
and gay teenagers account for up to 30 percent of all teenage suicides in the
nation.
"Far more women suffer from depression that men do, so it
seems odd that women would commit suicide at only one-fourth the rate of men.
The key difference between the two sexes may be that women talk out their
problems. George E. Murphy, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says that women may be protected
because they are more likely to consider the consequences of suicide on family
members or others. Women also approach personal problems differently than men
and more often seek help long before they reach the point of considering
suicide. 'As a result, women get better treatment for their depressions,' Murphy
says. To reduce the rate of suicide in men, Murphy suggests that physicians
should be alert for risk factors in men and refer them into treatment. Writing
in the Journal of Comprehensive Psychiatry, he says that identifying men
at risk require mental health professionals to recognize that depressed men may
understate emotional distress or difficulty with their problems." Black
Men, 3/99. Source: HealthScout, www.healthscout.com
It's important for people with suicidal feelings to let themselves be
assisted in overcoming deep depression. It's also a good idea to talk about your
feelings with friends. No man is an island and there's nothing wrong with
leaning on people who love you in times of need.
See Suicide Prevention
Services available locally. Dial 411 for your city's Suicide Prevention
Hotline, or try your local Gay & Lesbian Center, which offers referrals for
counseling, domestic violence and suicide prevention.
The Warning Signs and Major Risk Factors of
Teenage Suicide
Each year, thousands of American teenagers are diagnosed with clinical
depression. If ignored or poorly treated, it can be a devastating illness for
adolescents and their families. A new book, Understanding
Teenage Depression, provides the latest scientific research on this serious
condition and the most up-to-date information on its treatment. Drawing on her
many years of experience as a psychiatrist working with teenagers, Dr. Maureen
Empfield answers the questions parents and teens have about depression. Maureen
Empfield, M.D., is director of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital
Center in Mt. Kisco, New York, and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is the author or
coauthor of more than a dozen publications for the professional market. Nicholas
Bakalar is a New York-based writer and editor.
Although it is almost impossible to predict precisely which teenager will
attempt suicide, there are warning signs that parents can look for. The American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has assembled this list of
indications. If one or more of these signs occur, parents should talk to their
teenager and seek professional help.
- Unusual changes in eating and sleeping habits
- Withdrawal from friends, family, and regular activities
- Violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away
- Excessive drug and alcohol abuse
- Unusual neglect of personal appearance
- Marked personality change
- Persistent boredom, difficulty concentrating, or a decline in the quality of
schoolwork - Frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such
as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, etc. - Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
- Not tolerating praise or rewards
- Complaints of feeling “rotten inside”
- Giving verbal hints such as “Nothing matters,” “It’s no use,” or “I won’t be
a problem for you much longer” - Putting his or her affairs in order by giving or throwing away favorite
possessions or belongings - Becoming suddenly cheerful after an episode of depression
In high-risk patients—that is patients who have threatened or attempted
suicide—there are four risk factors that account for more than 80% of the risk
for suicide: major depression, bipolar disorder, a lack of previous mental
health treatment, and the availability of firearms in the home. If these four
problems were solved, most suicides would be prevented.
Source: Maureen Empfield, M.D. and Nicholas
Bakalar
Snippets:
- Persons under 25 account for 15% of all suicides.
- Between 1952 and 1995, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young
adults nearly tripled. - Many who make suicide attempts never seek professional care immediately
after the attempt. - Suicide was the eighth leading cause of death of all Americans, the third
leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds, behind unintentional injury and
homicide. - More men than women die by suicide. The gender ratio is 4:1.
- 73% of all suicide deaths are white males.
80% of all firearm suicide
deaths are white males. - Nearly 3 of every 5 suicides were committed with a firearm. Among persons
15-19, firearm-related suicides accounted for 62% of the increase in the overall
rate of suicide. - The risk for suicide among young people is greatest among young white males
although the suicide rates increased most rapidly among young black males. - Although suicide among young children is a rare event, the dramatic increase
in the rate among persons aged 10-14 underscores the urgent need for
intensifying efforts to prevent suicide among persons in this age group.. - More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart
disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung
disease, combined.