Teen Suicide

1. About Teen Suicide
2. Statistics
3. Who is at Risk
4. Suicide Among Canada's Aboriginal Population
5. Warning Signs of Suicide
6. Where to Look for Help
7. What You Can Do If Someone You Know is Suicidal
8. How to Talk to Someone Who is Suicidal

What is Teen Suicide?

Teen suicide is when a person between the ages of 11 and 18 years of age takes their own life.

Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears while growing up. For some teenagers, divorce, the formation of a new family with step-parents and step-siblings, or moving to a new community can be very upsetting and can intensify self-doubts. For some teens, suicide may appear to be a solution to their problems and stress. Adult guidance is needed more than ever to understand all the emotional and physical changes they are experiencing.

Some teens may be facing problems concerning a rape or sexual assault. This added to the daily pressures some teens face may become too much to handle and suicide may be seen as the only solution to their problems. In a recent study on the long-term impact of child abuse, adult women who said they were physically or emotionally abused as children were more likely to have mental health issues, suffer from depression and to have attempted suicide (American Psychiatric Association).

2. Statistics (from Canadian Children's Rights Council)

• Suicide has accounted for 2% of annual deaths in Canada since the late 1970s.
• In Canada, suicide is the second highest cause of death for youth aged 10-24.
• Each year, on average, 294 youths die from suicide.
• Suicide rates among youth aged 15- 24 have tripled in the past half- century
• In a survey of 15,000 grade 7 to 12 students in British Columbia, 34% knew of someone who had attempted or died by suicide; 16% had seriously considered suicide; 14% had made a suicide plan; 7% had made an attempt and 2% had required medical attention due to an attempt.
• Eight out of ten people who die by suicide gave some, or even many, indications of their intentions.

Suicide is complex. There may be many reasons why some people choose suicide. Risk factors for suicide may include:

• Previous suicide attempts - Teens who have attempted suicide in the past are much more likely than other teens to attempt suicide again in the future. Approximately one third of teen suicide victims have made a previous suicide attempt.
• Depression and/or alcohol or substance abuse - Over 90% of teen suicide victims have a mental health issue, such as depression, and/or a history of alcohol or drug abuse.
• Family history of mental health issues, substance abuse, or suicide - Teens who kill themselves have often had a close family member who attempted or committed suicide. Many of the mental illnesses, such as depression, that contribute to suicide risk appear to have a genetic component.
• Stressful situation or loss - Teens who kill themselves almost always have serious problems, such as depression or substance abuse. When they experience losses or certain stressful situations, it can trigger a suicide attempt. Such stressful situations include: getting into trouble at school or with the police; fighting or breaking up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend; and fighting with friends.
• Easy access to guns - Teens are much more likely to kill themselves when they have access to guns. When teens shoot themselves, they most often do so in their own homes. Teens are at a far greater risk for suicide when there are loaded and accessible guns in their homes.
• Exposure to other teenagers who have committed suicide - Teens are more likely to kill themselves if they have recently read, seen, or heard about other suicide attempts.
• Other risk factors include a history of physical and/or sexual abuse, poor communication with parents, incarceration, and lack of access or an unwillingness to seek mental health treatment. Those who have been in a depressed state and then suddenly are cheerful are most likely to commit suicide.
• If someone who has been depressed or suicidal suddenly seems happier, don't assume that the danger has passed. A person, having decided to kill themselves, may feel "better" or feel a sense of relief having made the decision. A severely depressed person may lack the energy to put their suicidal thoughts into action. Once they regain their energies, they may now go ahead and commit suicide

4. Suicide Among Canada's Aboriginal Population (from religioustolerance.org)

The "profile of mental health issues among Aboriginal people is primarily a by-product of our colonial past with its layered assaults on Aboriginal cultures and personal identities." Royal Commission on Aboriginal People

• The 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey indicated that 41% of Inuit, and 34.5% of Native Indians on reserves, report that suicide is a problem in their community.
• Native communities which have retained some of their historical traditions have lower suicide rates.
• The rate of suicide among Native youth is five to six times higher than the Canadian average.
• Suicide among northern Native youth has reached epidemic proportions. In Alberta the rate in the northern region was 80%; in the central region, 71.2%, and in the southern area
• An extremely high overall rate of 80.2 % has been found for 10 - 19 year-old Native males living on the northern coast of Labrador
• The Native suicide rate is much worse than the statistics indicate, because they typically do not include non-status Indians, Métis and Natives living off the reservation.

Why are the suicide rates so high for the Aboriginal population?

There are many reasons for the high levels of suicide among the Native population:

Socio-economic: Poverty is common in Native communities. Living conditions are often crowded. Water and sewer facilities are often inadequate. "...45% of all status Indians living on reserve are illiterate." Present-day economic hardship has its roots in a failed government policy which was aimed at assimilating Natives into the rest of society. The historical Native tribal society was to be dismantled; its subsistence-based economy was to be replaced by agriculture. But restrictions applied by the government guaranteed that the policy would fail, leaving Native communities without a method of supporting themselves.

Culture Stress: The Canadian government's policies included the destruction of much of Native culture, values and religion. With the help of the Christian churches, these traditions were largely replaced with Christianity. The main players were the Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church, Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada. Many native children grow up with little knowledge of their original culture. The government financed religious institutions so that they could establish residential school systems. Sometimes, children were kidnapped and taken long distances from their communities. In school, they were isolated from their families or origin and forcibly stripped of their language, religion, traditions and culture. There were extremely high levels of physical and sexual abuse suffered by Native children at the religious schools. Some of the results have been depression, difficulty in effectively parenting future generations, loss of culture -- and suicide. The last residential school was officially closed in Saskatchewan in1996 (according to government of Canada).

Psycho-biological: There are few community mental health services that are available in Native communities and the data is probably drastically underreported. There are few supports and resources available to the Native community. The Royal Commission reported that the "profile of mental health issues among Aboriginal people is primarily a by-product of our colonial past with its layered assaults on Aboriginal cultures and personal identities." The governments' traditional assumption that Natives are inferior, uncivilized, and lacking in moral qualities, relative to European society, has been internalized by many Natives. This leads to clinical depression, anxiety disorders, and self-destructive tendencies, including suicide.

What can be done?

• Recognize that suicide is a major social issue
• Develop suicide prevention programs, and offer crisis support
• Re-introduce traditional religious and cultural practices
• Encourage traditional and holistic healing
• Promote individual and community wellness
• Train Aboriginals for caregiver and administrative positions
• Provide co-operation among all levels of government to improve economic conditions on reserves

(from www.befrienders.org)

Parents and friends should be aware of the following signs:

Behaviours

• violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away
• unusual neglect of personal appearance
• loss of interest in pleasurable activities
• marked personality change
• persistent boredom, difficulty concentrating, or a decline in the quality of schoolwork
• not tolerating praise or rewards
• drug and alcohol use
• withdrawal from friends, family, and regular activities

Physical Changes

• change in eating habit or not eating/ sudden weight gain or weight loss
• change in sleeping habits (too much sleep or not enough)
• frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, etc.
• change in appearance
• lethargic- lack of energy

Thoughts and Emotions

• deep sadness and guilt
• feelings of rejection or marginalization
• anxiety
• stress
• helplessness
• no self-worth
• feeling that they have no support or a lack of family or friends to support them- loneliness
• talk about suicide and death
• unable to see beyond a narrow focus

A teenager who is planning to commit suicide may also:

• talk about death
• complain of being a bad person or feeling rotten inside
• give verbal hints with statements such as: "I won't be a problem for you much longer!", "Nothing matters!", "It's no use!", and "I won't see you again!"
• begin to put his or her affairs in order, for example, give away favorite possessions, clean his or her room, throw away important belongings, etc.
• become suddenly cheerful after a period of depression
• have signs of psychosis (hallucinations or bizarre thoughts)

Mental Health Association

Canadian Mental Health Association
Phone: (519) 752-2998

Brant Community Health Care System, Mental Health Triage
Phone: (519) 751-5544 ext.4736

Mental Health Crisis Response Line
Phone: (519) 752-2273

General Hospitals

Brantford General Hospital, Social Work Department and Psychiatric Day Therapy
Phone: (519) 751-5530

Family Service Agency

Family Counseling Centre of Brant
Phone: (519) 753-4173

Eastdale Family and Child Drop in Resource Centre
Phone: (519) 758-5395

Crisis Support Lines

Kids Help Phone (24 hours)
Phone: 1-800-668-6868

1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)

1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

Suicide Hotline
Phone: 1-866-487-2278

Online Help

www.teenadvice.org

www.teenhelp.org

www.hopeline.com

Information on Aboriginal Suicide and Suicide Prevention

Suicide in Canada

Religious Tolerance

National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control

Za-geh-do-win

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

Local Aboriginal Services

Six Nations Mental Health Services
Phone: (519) 445-2143

Pine Tree Native Centre
Phone: (519) 752-5132

Most people who are depressed or who are thinking about suicide don't or won't talk about how they are feeling. They feel worthless. They have no hope. They deny their emotions or think that talking about their emotions will be a "burden" on others because no one cares. Or they are afraid others will make fun of them.

That's understandable, because when someone mentions suicide, others may treat it as a joke or deny it. Those reactions only make the problem worse. So, if a friend or relative brings up the subject, take it seriously and take some time to talk about it.

• Take Them Seriously.
• Offer Help and Listen. Encourage depressed teens to talk about their feelings. Listen, don't lecture.
• Reassure Them. Let them know that they have a person to turn to, a friend to help them.
• Don't Lecture. Do not list the reasons a person has to live, listen to them.
• Trust Your Instincts. If it seems that the situation may be serious, seek prompt help. Break a confidence if necessary, in order to save a life.
• Pay Attention. Ask direct questions and don't be afraid of frank discussions. Silence is deadly!
• Seek Professional Help. It is essential to seek expert advice from a mental health professional that has experience helping depressed teens. Also, alert key adults in the teen's life - family, friends and teacher

People are often afraid that the language they use or the things they may say to a suicidal person may upset them even more or that if they use the term suicide then they will provoke them to act. People might think it's safer not to talk about suicide with someone who is considering it however talking will help them deal with some of the heavy issues involved and diffuse the tension. A willingness to listen shows that people care and are willing to help.

Here are a few things to consider when speaking with someone who is suicidal or may be threatening suicide.

• It is okay to use the term "suicide", "kill yourself", and "suicidal plan" when talking about the threat. Oftentimes, people contemplating suicide envision the process from a distorted perspective. It may even be seen as a 'romanticized' escape….a solution without notable consequences. Using these terms can bring the person into a sharper reality focus while enabling the helper to determine if a plan is in place. If the person has a reasonable plan to carry out the threat to end his or her life, the cry for help is more serious and warrants careful attention. (from http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/selfHelp/suicidalCrisis.asp)
• Some people trivialize depression (often unintentionally) by dropping a platitude on a depressed person as if that is the one thing they needed (i.e., some find that praying is very helpful), the context in which they are often said mitigates any intended benefit to the person. These do no cure depression. Here are some phrases that should be avoided:
  • "No one ever said life was fair!"
  • "There are a lot of people worse off than you"
  • "Cheer up!"
  • "You don't sound/look depressed"
  • "The only one you're hurting is yourself"
  • "It's your own fault"
  • "You will be okay, just hang in there, it will pass"

REMEMBER: You are not responsible for that person's actions. Ultimately they make their own decision on whether or not they choose to take their own life.