L GRYPHON * Oct/Nov 2000
Teen Depression and Suicide
Staffcontributions
Dark shadows of loneliness....
Pits of despair
Bottomless. Alone and silent
These lines were vvridmbyanRMSH
student who has attempted suicide.
Suicide is the third leading cause of
death among people ages 15 to 24.
Most pecple d(x\’t like to talk aboutit
but suicide is a terrifyingly real prob
lem.
A person who tries to kill
himself is usually depressed. The
longer the period of depression, the
harder it is to recover. Depressed
pecple have often gone through ex
treme life charges, There are 30 to
50 times as many attempted suicides
as completed suicides. Any attempt,
however is a cry for help.
Deptessicm gets to the point
of suicide whenvictims feel their fem-
ily and friends don’t understand
them. Theyhidetheirfeelin^Scxne
parents view depressive episodes as
normal teen mood swings. Anyone
can become depressed and suicidal.
Dqjression is rjot confined to any spe
cific gender, age, race, social status,
income level, or ethnic background.
There are many gender-specific situ
ations. Four times as manymalesocm-
plete suicide than females, but fe
males atten^t suicide twice as often
as males. Males tend to use more
violent methods while females pri
marily favor drug overdose.
Substance abuse and men
tal disorders are also a problem for
depressed teeric^ers. Almost all sui
cide victims have at least one mental
or substance abuse disorder, and over
half have more than one disorder.
Suicide risk and depression may not
entirely form on its own. There may
be a biological cause, like an imbal
ance cf certain chemicals in the brain
Sometimes, other people
are at risk in a community where a
suicide has occurred. Biological rela
tives are at risk when a family
memebercommitssuicide. Teenz^es
in a community or school where a
suicide has occurred often attempt
and sometimes succeed at killing
themselves, This is called a suicide
cluster.
The symptoms of a de
pressed and suicidal person include
changes in sleeping and eating pat
terns . Weight gains and losses are
common. Etepressed people tend to
withdraw from fnends and family.
They lose interest in hobbies and
have trouble concentrating in school
Mood swings are present. Feelings
cfguilt and hopelessness lead to feel
ings that life is no longer worth liv
ing. Talking about suicide and giv
ing away treasured possessions are
other sympttxns.
If you should notice any of
these symptoms and think someone
may be suicidal, talk to the person
and listen to everything they have to
say.. Don’t let them feel like they are
alone or worthless. Reassure them
that they are suffering from depres
sion, which is medically treatable.
Other teens shouldNEVBRdeal with
afiiend’s suicide threats alone. Bring
trusted adults into the situation to
help. Cton’t leave a potential victim
alone if you have a gut feeling that
he or she will try to commit suicide.
Keep firearms and other weapons,
and medication, away from the vic
tim until the crisis has passed. Don’t
be afraid to talk with them about
their experience. Bringing up the
subject ofsuicide does not give teens
ideas, but instead opens the lines of
communication so that it may be dis
cussed.
Suicide and depression af
fects everyone inafknily or commu
nity. Families should consider fam
ily counseling if any member is de
pressed and has attempted suicide.
Sufportgroiqx crffer aplace to share
fears, concerns, and hopes with
people going throi^i the same thing.
Although counseling is expensive,
it’s possible to find mental health
care organizations that use sliding
scales, which only ask for as much
money as you can pay. Free counsel
ing centers are also an option. Ifyou
orscanecaieyouknow is depressed or
may be suicidal, seek help immedi
ately. Waiting can mean losing a
fiiend, fknily member, or even your
own life. The couselors atRMSH are
willing to talk to anyone in trouble.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking
to a ftiend, fknily member, or school
couselor, then call one of the toll-
free hotlines we have available, such
asl-80aSUlCIDE
The following stories are
about RMSH students. To ensure
their privacy, names have been
changed.
Ttilie*s Storv
Depression can begin very
early in life. Julie’s depression be
gan in third grade. Her parents quit
talking. She b^an to gothrough pu
berty and gained weigjit. She had few
fnends and disliked her mother. She
b^^n cutting herself. In ninth grade,
she took two botdes of aspirin. Her
parents ignoredthe situation, refus
ing to get her the psychiatric help
she needed. Then, two weeks after
her first attempt, Julie turned to stron
ger dmgs. “I snorted encn^Ji cocaine
to kill a400-pound man,” says Julie.
Finally, she was sent to a psychiatric
fkiility for three months. Tbday,Julie
is better. She has been off her anti
depressants for almost two years. Julie
wants to he^ others in her situation.
“There is a way out, and suicide is
not the best way. Everyone has
thoughts ofkilling themselves when
you get in a rut, but admitting you
have a problem is the first step to
correcting it.”
Hannah’s Disaster
Hannah’s problems, like
Julie’s, b^pn in childhood. Herpar-
ents split up. When her mother be
gan dating £^^in, her boyfnend was
emotionally abusive to Hannah. He
was controlling about her diet as well,
and her mother began to sneak
Hannahfoodtoherroom. Hannah’s
father never came to visit her, and
her favorite uncle died from cancer
Her brother and children at school
would tease her about her weight.
Hannah’sself-esteem sank lower and
lower, and she began to feel worth
less. In high school, her peers still
made fun ofher, and she stepped go
ing to school. Hannah ran away to try
to avoid herproblem, buthermother
found her. Eventually the police got
involved. They took Hannah to the
hospital, where she felt she was be
ing treated unsynpathetically. While
at the hospital, she decided she
didn’t want to go home, and took a
whole bottle of pills. She immedi
ately regretted taking the pills, and
toldscanecriewiTatshehaddcne. Her
stomach was pumped and she be
came a ward of the state. She was
taken to a new hospital and began
the treatmentshe needed. She wants
to talk about her experience to help
others. Hannah says, “Suicide is not
the easy way out. It hurts you and
your fknily more”
AFamilv’sNi^tmare
Kevin and his wife were
surprised when their 14 year old
daughter, Kylie, tried to kill herself.
Frcan all ajpiearances she was a popu
lar, vivacious normal teenager The
phone was always ringing. She was
always talking to her fnends, chat
ting with them on the Internet or
spending time with them. Looking
back at the time leading up to her
attempt, Kevin says the signs just
weren’t there
Following her attempt,
Kylie suffered from misdiagnosis and
the abandonment of fnends. Now,
however, she has the proper medica
tion and is attending a new school
where she is doing well. Kevin says
his wish is that “young people will
reach out to people like Kylie. They
need someone to be there for them.
Remember tme friendships are mea
sured when the ocean gets rough,”
Julie, Hannah and Kylie
have made it tbrougji their hard times
with help from family, friends and
most importandy, professional help.
Too many teens are depressed and
suicidal. Ifyou know someone, con
vince them to talk to a trusted adult
Even if they ask you to keep their
secret, it is important for an adult to
know what is going on. Suicide is
not the answer to depression. The
first step towards getting better is
admitting there is a problem. Get
ting help means living.
Compiled By Elizabeth Massii^^ill