Reasons for increase in suicides

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As we all know there has been an increase in teens committing suicide. I think that bullying has gotten out of control and that it contributed to the increase in suicides. The break down of the family and lack of discipline in many homes have contributed to the out of control bullying problem. Schools not being able to suspend and expel students that are habitually disruptive and hurting other students has contributed to the increase in bullying and suicides.

What do you guys think has contributed to the increase in teen suicides?

Bullies learn this behavior from their parents and culture.

Adults definitely do need clean up their act and set a better example for their kids.

Social proof is a big factor in suicide clusters.

Wikipedia as a page for Social Proof

From there - "When a person is in a situation where they are unsure of the correct way to behave, they will often look to others for clues concerning the correct behavior. When "we conform because we believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more accurate than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action" "

I think feelings of hopelessness are the most common factor underlying suicide in younger cohorts. This is a tougher world to be young in than when I was young, though that was no bed of roses either.

In older cohorts suicide has often more complex and numerous reasons, incurable illness being one that is more prominent in that age group.

True Elaine in some ways.

Based on my experience from being around a bunch of other teenagers (and being one myself), I think social media and the internet are large contributing factors. Although I do not personally know anyone who has committed or attempted suicide (thank God), it seems to me as though things have really changed a lot in the past 40 or so years. Back then, really the only way to bully someone was face to face. Now that almost every teenager nowadays has a cellphone, it becomes extremely easy to be rude or cruel to other people, whether it be intentional or not.

It’s possible that bullying can get so bad that it may lead to depression and, tragically, suicide. However, based on my experience, I don’t think that is the only dark side when it comes to social media. Children my age are constantly comparing themselves to one another. It makes sense as this time in our lives is generally thought of as the period of becoming increasingly independent and wanting to “fit in” with our peers.

I can’t speak for myself here, as I don’t really feel this urge that many teens experience, but judging by what I have seen, social media is a huge enabler of this. Whenever a teen posts a picture online, it is a gamble. They will either receive a negative or a positive reaction from their peers. If they do in fact end up with a handful of likes and kind comments, it makes them want to post more in the future. In this way, it almost acts like a drug. Teens want acceptance, they end up receiving it by posting things online, they do it again and again. Makes sense, right? So what if they start receiving negative responses from their peers? Maybe they don’t get as many likes as before, yet they see others getting more than they had ever received. This can cause feeling of worthlessness and failure, as the standards seem to be set to an unreachable level. If this continues and other factors such as loss, break-ups, etc. occur as well, then this could potentially end up as a huge risk factor for suicide. For this reason, I don’t think teens should be given the access to things like social media until they are mature and wise enough to use it.

I’m not sure if any of this even made sense, but that’s just my two cents on what may be a contributing factor to the increasing suicide rate in teenagers. I also agree with everything the OP mentioned about lack of discipline, break down in family, etc. I know that this increase is also occurring in teens who don’t have any sort of major depressive disorder or mental illness, and I think today’s culture is largely to blame for the increasing suicide rates in previously “mentally stable” teenagers. Sorry if none of this post made sense. I’m being so OCD about my writing being disorganized/paranoid right now .

Excellent post, Squiddly Diddly!

(I've never asked you if you've seen that 1960s cartoon called "Squiddly Diddly."

So this is only about teen suicide?