Teen Suicide In American High Schools

Educational Perspective on Teen Suicide in American High Schools

Suicide has moved up from fourth to second place as the leading cause of death among high school teenagers. The male and female rates were at their highest in the 1990’s with 20.4 per 100,000 persons in 1990. The rates have since gone down to 17.7 per 100,000 persons in 2005. Teen suicide rates are higher among males than females, males were at 19.8 per 100,000 and female rates were at 4.8 per 100,000 females in the 1990’s (World Health Organization). Societal problems that lead to teens attempting suicide are often rooted in depression, bullying and stress, sometimes beginning in middle school. Because teen suicide’s effects are felt all throughout school, suicide rates that

The school population is affected and awareness of how the suicide affects the students is imperative. Suicide among teens often occurs in groups called cluster suicides. Clusters suicides typically happen in a close community of people where one suicide triggers many suicides. Some school systems are especially at risk for cluster suicides. Cluster suicides negatively effect the learning environment because students may feel unsafe in an environment that fosters suicide. Resources and help for teens for students are some ways schools can combat the problem of suicide.

Media coverage of suicides has a large impact on cluster suicides. A sentimentalized report of a suicide makes teens more at risk of committing suicide because the person at risk feels the individual who committed suicide was a hero for doing it. (Daniel Goalman, Ph. D) This may be because teenagers like to imitate their peers, especially as seen in fashion fads and technology fads. Unfortunately, teenagers’ imitation of others also applies to suicide, making preventing suicide among teenagers important. Some schools even take days off after a suicide to let the hysteria die down.

Counselors and

A large number of resources are available for school staff to prevent teen suicide, including counselors and educational programs for staff and students. A school counselor’s job is not just scheduling, but helping students with personal problems individually. Educational programs about prevention help educate school systems about how to prevent and stop suicide so it does not negatively affect the learning environment. An often unseen risk factor is stress, so it is important that each school does not create an environment where students feel overly stressed because it can potentially lead to suicidal