suicide and the number " 14"

A research I did after watching the news

I began writing about the fourteen year old girl whom I read committed suicide due to cyber bullying.Since I didn't know her name, I decided to use the search engine. Found more than I bargained for. This in turn shaped the post you are reading now. As soon as I typed the search related words " 14 year old who committed suicide " there was more than just the cyber bullying case. 

Is the number"14"the suicidal age? Perhaps! 

Well...since I didn't have an answer, I decided to seek professional help. 

   " Youth suicide is when a young person : generally categorized as someone below age 24, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of attempted and completed youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. For example, in Australia suicide is second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of deathfor people aged 15�"24,]and according to the National Institute for Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens in the United States. In India, one-third of suicides are young people 15�"29. In 2002, 154,000 suicides were recorded in India.        

In the 10 to 14 age group, Caucasian children (ranked 3rd leading cause of death) were far more likely to complete suicide than African American children (ranked 5th leading cause of death). Caucasian males between 10 and 14 years of age were 1.8 times more likely to complete suicide than Caucasian females of the same age.

The trend of methods used by children has followed a similar pattern to that of youths 15 to 19 years old. Since 1993, suicide by frearm decreased and suicide by suffocation increased. Suicides by suffocation among 10-to-14-year-olds have occurred more frequently than those by frearms since 1999.

Other Factors

• Research has shown that most adolescent suicides occur after school hours and in the teen’s home.

• Although rates vary somewhat by geographic location, within a typical high school classroom, it is likely that three students (one boy and two girls) have made a suicide attempt in the past year.

• The typical profle of an adolescent nonfatal suicide attempter is a female who ingests pills, while the profle of the typical suicide completer is a male who dies from a gunshot wound.

• Not all adolescent attempters may admit their intent. Therefore, any deliberate self-harming behaviors should be considered serious and in need of further evaluation.

• Most adolescent suicide attempts are precipitated by interpersonal conficts. The intent of the behavior appears to be to effect change in the behaviors or attitudes of others.

• Repeat attempters (those making more than one nonfatal attempt) generally use their behavior as a means of coping with stress and tend to exhibit more chronic symptomology, poorer coping histories, and a higher presence of suicidal and substance abuse behaviors in their family histories.

• Many teenagers may display one or more of the problems or “signs” detailed below. The following list describes some potential factors of risk for suicide among youth. If observed, a professional evaluation is strongly recommended:

Presence of a psychiatric disorder (e.g., depression, drug or alcohol, behavior disorders, conduct disorder [e.g., runs away or has been incarcerated]);

The expression/communication of thoughts of suicide, death, dying or the afterlife (in a context of sadness, boredom, hopelessness or negative feelings);

Impulsive and aggressive behavior, frequent expressions of rage;

Increasing use of alcohol or drugs;

Exposure to another’s suicidal behavior;

Recent severe stressor (e.g., diffculties in dealing with sexual orientation; unplanned pregnancy,

Finally,  the recent being cyber bullying. The fact that people hide behind the "anonymous being " is more than enough to tell you everything about them. They have low self esteem, low self worth, only speak out when they are faceless and nameless, only deride pleasure in name calling, and can't wait to hurl insults at anyone they feel are better than them .

My question to you is this? 

WILL you allow this type of person dictate the course of your actions?