Frankie Ross

HELA 10
Geist 7
18 February 2015
Suffering from Suicide
Depression (noun); severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study,
eat, and enjoy life (dictionary.com) Millions of people all over the world seem to be suffering
from the same pain all caused by different actions, some would define this as depression. It
seems to be a reoccuring event in peoples lives that just cant be stopped, but it needs to be.
Depression is a cause that can end in the result of suicide. These mental disorders cause lassitude
and causes people to become completely different. This mental disorder along with a few others
is why about every 13 minutes one person dies from suicide in the United States according to
AAS. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Suicide is not always the victims fault. There are multiple different causes to suicide.
The National Institute of Mental Health expresses that, the majority of victims of suicide have
been diagnosed with some sort of depressive illness (nimh.nih.gov). This means most teen
victims are dealing with mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or
schizophrenia. Benedetto Saraceno from the World Health Organization said, 90% of all cases
of suicide are associated with mental disorders (Dlamini). Tragic deaths for these people are
caused because their diagnosis is usually undertreated or overlooked which is not okay. People
especially teens should never feel bypassed. Doctors may prescribe certain prescriptions to
patients with these mental disorders and most of the time suicide and suicidal thoughts are often
side effects of these medications. Suicide has always been a problem for teens but teens who are

depressed and taking medications such as Paxil may have a higher risk of suicide or suicidal
thoughts. According to British and American studies show that, 1,100 children who were on this
drug were three times more likely to attempt suicide (Waters). The black box warning was
established by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2004. This warning enforces and
requires antidepressants to express to patients and doctors that suicide and suicidal thoughts may
be effects to these medications. These medications should not be causing more suicide attempts,
these medications along with our society should be trying to prevent this problem before it
continues to grow.
The rate of suicide in the United States has sadly increased in the past six years proven by
a study from BMJ. The American Psychiatric Association studies show that, suicide is the
third leading cause of death for young people between 11-18 years of age (ic.galegroup.com).
The CDC recently started to discover the rates are highest within the baby boomer generation,
Dr. Arias said that the higher suicide rates might be due to a series of life and financial
circumstances that are unique to the baby boomer generation. Men and women in that age group
are often coping with the stress of caring for aging parents while still providing financial and
emotional support to adult children (Parker-Pope). The newest generation of humans are the
children of the baby boomers. As these children grow up, it is their parents they learn from.
Sooner or later each child becomes exactly like their mom or dad. So it is their responsibility to
help them learn that suicide is never the answer and these baby boomers could be the ones to
save these innocent peoples lives. This could possibly be an effect on todays teenagers suicide
rates. CDC also took a study in 2011 finding out that 39,518 American citizens died of suicide.
No matter the gender suicide prevention needs to be spread more than the names of the people
who actually do attempt and succeed at taking their lives each year. AAS and CDC agree that

there are four male suicides for every female suicide, this question creates thoughts
(www.save.org).Suicide and suicidal thoughts for any gender is a problem and this is why we can
be the ones who decide to help prevent the problems and not avoid them but it is human nature to
be furtive.
This month Barack Obama and the congress had a serious agreement about increasing the
prevention for veterans who commit suicide. They passed a bill stating that suicide prevention
and mental health programs in the Department of Veteran Affairs needs to be strengthened. The
passing of this bill hopefully does not just help prevent the problem of suicide but help inspire
more people to preach and share about the prevention of suicide. Most suicides tend to happen
because of the problems constantly occurring in ones life and they believe that ending their life
is the only way to make things better. Gustavus Adolphus College provides a list of ways to
encourage people to prevent suicide by saying to tell someone how you are feeling, or find
someone to be with you. They also mention things like each evening set small goals for
yourself for the next day (Ehalt). Getting over these conflicts start by acting against them and
committing to yourself that you are cable of stopping these thoughts or actions. Counselors do
their jobs to alert these issues but there is always room for more of this so it is prevented.
Everyone who is going through these situations needs to be taught how to be more sanguine.
Suicide is and always has been an issue. This is a dark topic that not all people can talk
about which is understandable but it is a topic that students need to be more aware of. Teachers
and counselors need to teach ways to help prevent it. Suicide should never be a comfortable topic
but it definitely should never be so avoided that it grows to cause bigger problems. Today suicide
is the third leading cause of death but with prevention and knowledge these statistics can learn to
increase. Suicide robs families, communities and societies around the world of thousands of its

members each year (sks.sirs.com). This couldnt be more than the truth. Suicide leaves
everyone that ever knew you in complete scarce. Do not be the victim but learn to stop the
victims. John Milton once said The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of
hell, a hell of heaven (sks.sirs.com). Suicide and the reverberations of these actions are abject
and leave people in the worst types of grief. Be the voice in someones head that stops them
from making these actions. Help end this issue for not only young adults but for our society.

Works Cited
"Key Research Findings." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web.
18 Feb. 2015.
"Teen Suicide." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Freyer, Felice J. "Study Links Shunning of Drug, Rise in Suicide Tries." Boston Globe.
19 Jun. 2014: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
"Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention: Evidence & Implications." Substance Abuse and
Suicide Prevention: Evidence & Implications. 2008: 1-43. SIRS Government Reporter.
Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Roulo, Claudette. "President Signs Clay Hunt Act, Says 'Stigma Has to End'." DoD News. 12
Feb. 2015: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Godbout, Hannah. Suicide Prevention. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print

Parker-pope, Tara. "Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 02 May 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
"An essay about Suicide." 123HelpMe.com. 20 Feb 2015

Criteria
Content
and
Ideas

Organiza
tion

Description

Points

Clear argument
Support uses
ethos, logos, and
pathos
4 or more
credible sources used
Antithesis
addressed and refuted

0
2

Effective
introduction and hook
Paragraphs are
organized around claim
statements
Transitions are
used between
paragraphs
Sequence is
logical
Conclusion
leaves reader with
powerful final statement

0
2

1
=

10/10 Madison - intro and

hook are really good!
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a
comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

9/10 Madison - some

paragraphs get a little rambly
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a
comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher

Voice

The writer connects with the

audience through the intriguing
focus of the topic, selection of
relevant details, and the use of
natural, engaging language,
including the use of vocabulary.

0
2

Diction/
Syntax/
Conventi
ons

Five vocabulary
words are used
naturally and effectively.
Writing is all in
3rd person .
Quotations are
embedded and cited.
0-3 Errors in
grammatical structure

0
2

Publicati
on/
Appeara
nce

rough draft
ready on Wed 2/18
typed and
double-spaced
Times New
Roman; 12 pt.
proper MLA
formatting; heading that
includes student name,
instructors name, class,
and date
works cited page
is appended.

0
2

1
=

10/10 Madison - NICE

/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a
comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

7/10 Madison - missing some

vocab words..
/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a
comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher
1
=

10/10 Madison - NICE

/10 PEER 2 NAME - write a
comment
/10 Self grade
/10 final grade from teacher