Causes of Adolescent Suicide

The causes of adolescent suicide are varied and complex. Suicide often involves an effort by individuals to escape from a self they find inadequate and intolerable. The following are some of the common factors that increase the risk that a teenagers will attempt suicide : (a) Depression or feelings of loneliness or helplessness, (b) Emotional neglect, (c) Alcoholism or drug addiction, (d) A family history of abuse, suicide, or violence, (e) Previous suicide attempts, (f) A recent loss such as a death, break-up, parent’s divorce, illness or disability, (g) Stress over school, relationships, performance expectations etc., (h) Fear of ridicule for getting help for problems, (i) Breakup of an important peer relationship, (j) Exposure to other teens committing suicide, such as at school or in the media, (k) Access to firearms or other lethal objects, (l) Fragile self-esteem which quickly disintegrates in the face of stressful life events, (m) Mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder etc., (n) Exposure to suicide through the media.