Teen_Suicide

Teen Suicide Name: Hafez Alrayashi Topic: Teen Suicide General purpose: Specific Purpose: I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Tell the story of a teen who committed suicide from the magazine Seventeen. According to recent statistics, every hour and 45 minutes a young person commits suicide. B. Overview of topic: Teen suicide has been increasing over the past decade throughout the entire nation. The best way to prevent teen suicide is to inform people if its existence and to teach people to look for the warning signs. C. Purpose Statement: Teen suicide is an important issue because it threatens so many lives that have great potential. To help you understand the severity of the issue, I will provide statistics about teen suicide, explain the warning signs, and provide examples of prevention techniques. II. Body A. Main Support #1 – general information on teen suicide 1. Facts and statistics from research - EXPLAINING CHART ON POSTER 2. Accord to www.1-teenage-suicide.edu Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students and the third leading cause of death among youth (ages 15-24) 3. The number one known cause of suicide is depression, which leads to one feeling like they are failures at everything and that they do not belong. It calls attention to the negative aspects of their life and they view everything in a pessimistic way. According to the Harris County Psychiatric Center in Texas, about 75% of those who commit suicide are depressed. A person diagnosed with depression cannot find solutions to their temporary problems and therefore, they do not realize that suicide is permanent. Many suicidal individuals do not even realize that it is the depression causing them to feel this way, not their situation. TRANSITION: By knowing some of the causes of suicide, it makes it easier to recognize the signs and symptoms of a suicidal person. B. Main Support #2 – warning signs 1. Signs that lead to depression 2. change in eating 3. A sudden change in behavior can also be a symptom, like anxiety, nervousness, and changes in eating or sleeping habits. Also, drinking alcohol heavily, doing drugs, or on a higher note, cutting themselves are major changes in behavior. Changes in behavior can occur in school as well. All of a sudden doing poorly in school or having trouble concentrating on schoolwork can be critical signs of suicidal thoughts. 4. Another sign of a suicidal person is they become depressed. Depression, like I said before causes one to view the negative aspects of life. When depressed, one often loses their interest in activities they once found fun and exciting, or isolate themselves from anyone including friends and family. TRANSITION: Many times, suicidal people attempt to kill themselves more than once and they either fail or get scared at the last minute. There are many ways to prevent this from happening again or even happening at all. C. Main Support #3 – risk factors/prevention 1. Prevention a. family b. friends c. counseling d. Another form of prevention is to see a therapist. Mental Health Professional, Michael G. Rayel, says that suicide prevention is as much of a science as it is an art and that applying psychotherapeutic techniques can be effective, but the gentle art of dealing with the suicidal person makes all the difference. Therapists and counselors offer support on more of an emotional level and help build the teens self-esteem and coping skills. e. The best way to prevent suicide is to talk to someone who is a good listener, someone you trust, and someone who gives good advice. Talking to the suicidal person can help them realize that they do make a difference in the world and that they are not failures. III. Conclusion A. Restate thesis: It is vital that people understand the reality of teen suicide. Once people are made aware, more can be done to address to problem and to prevent its occurrence. B. Further thoughts: It is an awful reality that exists in our society, and yes, even at our school. I wish I could say my life has never been touched by teen suicide, but it has. I’ve almost lost friends and have lost acquaintances and I am still effected by those incidents. Don’t be fooled into thinking it could never happen to your or people you care about. C. Please remember, suicide is neither a rich man’s disease, nor a poor man’s curse. It is common through all levels of society. REFERENCES American Accreditation HealthCare Commission. (2006) Suicide and Suicidal Behavior. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/suicide-and-suicidal-behavior/overview.html Retrieved April 20, 2008. Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. (2007) Suicide. http://www.medicinenet.com/suicide/article.htm Retrieved April 21, 2008. Harris County Psychiatric Center. (1997) Understanding Teen Suicide. http://hcpc.uth.tmc.edu/teen_suicide.htm Retrieved April 21, 2008. Joiner, Thomas. (2005) Why People Die By Suicide. Massachusetts: the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Lester, David. (2000) Why People Kill Themselves. Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd.