Suicide In Teenage Wasteland By Donna Gaines

Suicide is a sensitive topic that many Americans confront on a regular basis. One of the many factors leading to suicide is depression, abuse, and stigma. Suicide can be impactful to a person’s loved one’s and their community. The book “Teenage Wasteland” by Donna Gaines, goes in depth, detailing the suicide pact that happened back in 1987 in Bergenfield, New Jersey. Gaines believed there was an epidemic with teenage suicide during that time. Two areas of the novel that I found interesting is their upbringing of the involved parties and how rehabilitation/deterrence played a role in their suicide pact. I believed their upbringings were heavily influenced by their relationship with their parents, school, the use of drugs and alcohol, and previous

encounters with delinquent acts and status offenses.
A person’s morals and beliefs are developed from their household. The way a child is raised is the core contribution to their personality and the way they carry themselves. In my opinion, children who do not have a structural family and household, grow up with the sensation of feeling alone and out of place. This lack of structure goes on to affect these children in the future, causing uncertainty and skepticism when making decisions when they are adolescents. This is a conflicts faced in their everyday life.
Another factor that provoked the suicide pact is the teenager’s relationship with their parents.

In Tommy’s Oltons case, his parents divorced, and his father committed suicide when he was fourteen. I believe that his father’s suicide affected him because he felt that he was cheated out of a relationship with his father during his teenage years. I also believe a young man needs his father during this time of age because they look to their father for guidance. Also what Tommy could not find at home, he would seek in the streets. Things that would fill the void of not having a father could be drugs and alcohol, which he found sanctuary

in.
In my opinion, I believe that the role the school played in the teenage suicide is significant.

I believe the school system should excel when it comes to helping and providing assistance to troubled youth. Three of the teenagers who committed suicide were dropouts also referred to as “burnouts”. This implies that the school system has failed in some type of way. I believe the burnouts view school as an intimidating environment because they have a history of being bullied and being put down by most of the school staff members, thus causing them to not go back. One way the school pushed these teens towards suicide is the fact that school would degrade teens that are doing poorly in school and lowering their self-esteem.

The use of drugs and alcohol is a major factor when it came to the suicide pack. Since these teens come from troubled homes, they found comfort in drugs and alcohol. Teenagers do not have many obligations during these years and do not have much of a rationale for acknowledging the consequences drugs and alcohol bring. The autopsies revealed that the four teens were drinking alcohol and consumed cocaine. I believe that alcohol and cocaine played a major role in their suicide pact because in a way it subdued their feelings and altered their mind state, provoking the thoughts of suicide and not backing out of

it.
The people from Bergenfield implied that the “burnouts” were a nuisance to society. They are essentially saying they do not have a future. Most of these “burnouts” have past encounters with criminal activities or status offenses. In my opinion, I believe that when we categorize teenagers into delinquents this produces a stigma and also is a form of lowering a juvenile’s self esteem. When a teenager believes that their only worth is to commit delinquent acts, they are going to continue to do these actions. Moreover, due to the fact that they have low self-esteem, this triggers teens to have suicidal thoughts.
When a juvenile committed status offenses, or delinquent acts, society first punished them with deterrence. Going to prison, is considered a deterrence method. I believe prison does not have an effect on teenager because their mind is not fully developed, and sending them away to prison only worsens the problem because they are not getting any type of rehabilitation. They continue to grow older, but their mindset does not mature. However, when it comes to rehabilitation programs I believe they have potential to help juveniles out, however some methods must change.. I believe these rehabilitation systems should have a reward system for juveniles who have made progress so they can be motivated, also identifying the reasons why the juvenile are acting out. On the other hand, rehabilitation methods from 20 years ago did not hit these points; therefore, most the rehabilitation programs did not affect the burnouts.
The suicide pact was a tragic decision these four teens perpetrated. Suicide is a serious issue that many people face for a vast amount of years. I believe Schools, households, and the community should pay close attention to teenagers and maintain open dialogue with them because they are the future. An open dialogue can identify if they may be encountering depression, low self-esteem and much more. I also believe that when teenagers are acting out, it is not a phase they are going through, instead a cry for help. And we as society should help in any way possible. Overall, “Teenage Wasteland” was an eye opener for me because now I believe I need to pay close attention to the youth of today’s society.