Suicide Awareness

800,000 people die because of suicide every year internationally. That’s 1 person every 40 seconds. Many people don’t realise how serious this issue is and how many people it affects. We’re writing this article to spread awareness and to provide hotlines you can call or text if you ever had these thoughts. You may not even know it but those closest to you might have had suicidal thoughts or lost people because of suicide. We really wanted to spread awareness about this topic because it’s such a common topic that not many people are aware of. Here are some facts that we’ve gathered.

Suicide rate:

Suicide rate tends to increase with age, having a bigger frequency in teenagers and young adults. In the last decades, the number of suicides by adolescents has enhanced. Teen suicide ( ranging from 15 - 19 year olds ) is more usual in men than women. 5.2 out of 100000 female teens committed suicide while 16.7 out of 100000 male teens committed suicide. Among adolescents and young adults (ages 15-24), suicide is the second leading cause of death.

Facts about suicide everyone should be aware of:

• In 2018, around 1.4M people attempted suicide.

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US.

• In 2018, 48.344 Americans died by suicide.

• Those who are in a higher risk of attempting suicide are: Caucasians, American Indians, or Alaskan Natives.

Factors that lead to suicide:

Some of the factors that lead to suicide consist of:

- Mental disorders/illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and personality disorder.

- Poor mental health (this is not to be confused with mental illnesses, and we will talk about that in another article)

- Abuse witnessing

- Having serious medical conditions such as cancer and HIV/AIDS

- Suffering from bullying

- Childhood traumas

- Loss of a job or social loss, such as the loss of a significant relationship

- Having a chronic disease

HOW TO HELP PREVENTING SUICIDE:

- Don't discount people’s problems

- Be a good listener

- Encourage them to get help

- Ask them about their feelings

- Don't leave them alone

- Encourage them to see a mental health professional

After these facts, we hope that you’ll pay more attention towards this subject and also your peers and those around you. We will definitely be doing more articles about this topic to help spread awareness and you can too! We will also be posting some threads and fact posts related to this subject on our instagram and you can help spread awareness by reposting them on your story! We also have a list of suicide hotlines from most if not every country which are below. We hope you learned something from this, we both certainly did while researching.

(Scroll to the bottom for bibliography in APA )

Bibliography (APA):

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

Explore Teen Suicide in the United States | 2020 Health of Women and Children. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of-women-and-children/measure/teen_suicide/state/ALL

How You Can Help Someone One Is Suicidal. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/suicide-prevention-tips-1067531

Suicide by Age | Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.sprc.org/scope/age

Suicide data. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/suicide-data#:~:text=Close%20to%20800%20000%20people,and%20occurs%20throughout%20the%20lifespan.

What You Should Know About Suicide. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/suicide-and-suicidal-behavior#risk-factors

Which age groups have the highest prevalence of suicidal behaviors?. (2021). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.medscape.com/answers/2013085-157703/which-age-groups-have-the-highest-prevalence-of-suicidal-behaviors