in death. During adolescence, the documented preva-
lence rates of suicide attempts are higher than at any
other time in the human lifespan. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
about one-half million adolescents and young adults
attempt suicide each year with as many as 6 percent
of high school males and 11 percent of high school
females reporting at least one suicide attempt.
Suicidal ideation is broadly defined as a range of
thoughts an individual may have related to the act of
committing suicide. Suicidal ideation can range from
thoughts that others might be better off if the person
were dead to very specific, detailed planning for com-
pleting suicide. Signs of suicidal ideation may be ex-
pressed behaviorally, in written form, or through
speech. Several surveys conducted in the mid-1990s
suggest that 10 percent to 15 percent of adolescents
have meaningful suicidal thoughts within a one-week
or one-month time span. The CDC reported that in
1991 about 27 percent of high school students report-
ed having thought seriously about attempting suicide
and 16 percent reported having made a detailed sui-
cide plan.
These facts and statistics become more meaning-
ful when one considers what these findings suggest
for a typical high school with an enrollment of 2,000
students. It is quite likely that in such a setting, ap-
proximately 500 students will have thoughts of sui-
cide during the school year, 50 students will actually
make a suicide attempt during the year, and 1 student
will complete suicide once every four years.
Adolescent suicide is a reality that, although diffi-
cult and frightening for most of society to think about
and discuss, can often be prevented. The key is for
people to be informed about the potential reasons in-
dividuals might engage in suicidal behavior, the types
of individuals who are at risk of engaging in suicidal
behavior, the common myths about suicide, the warn-
ing signs of suicide, and the actions to take if one sus-
pects a suicide might be attempted. An introductory
examination of this vital information follows.
Reasons for Suicidal Behavior
Why do people kill themselves? This is an ex-
tremely difficult question to answer. Although there
are many ideas or theories about why people commit
suicide, there is no single comprehensive theory that
describes and explains all life-threatening behaviors.
The major theories of suicide can be categorized into
sociological theories, psychological theories, and bio-
logical theories. In general, sociological theories are
based on the idea that suicide results from the level
and amount of control society has over an individual
and the effects of social conditions and social changes
on the person. Psychological theories of suicide typi-
cally focus on conflicts within the individual; the role
of one’s thought processes, emotions, and personality
characteristics; the person’s developmental stage;
and the ways in which the person’s family functions.
Finally, biological theories are based on the examina-
tion of biological aspects of suicide such as the influ-
ence of genetics, hormone levels, and neuro-
transmitter levels in the brain.
Suicidal acts take on very different meanings
based upon the lenses one uses to examine each indi-
vidual case of suicide. It is tempting to make sense of
suicidal behavior by applying one of the many theo-
ries that have been developed by researchers to ex-
plain suicidal behavior. It appears, however, that the
most complete understanding requires one to look
beyond theories and ideas to the concrete evidence.
Rather than asking why someone would commit sui-
cide, the question can be rephrased as follows: What
problem or problems was the person trying to solve?
Based upon the ways in which adolescents at-
tempt to kill themselves, those who work with suicidal
teens have found that most do not really want to die.
When adolescents attempt suicide, most do it in their
own homes, which is the place they are most likely to
be found, and between the hours of 4 P.M. and mid-
night, which is the time of the day when someone in
the family is most likely to be around. Thus, the
chance of rescue is high, and those who hope for res-
cue do not really want to die. It appears then, that sui-
cidal teens are simply attempting to solve one or
more problems occurring in their life, but they, un-
fortunately, choose a permanent solution to their
temporary problems. These teens are looking for a
way to escape the emotional and physical pain that re-
sults from the problems they perceive or experience
in their lives, and suicide appears to be a sure way to
make the pain stop.Those Who Are at Risk
People at risk of suicide come from a wide variety
of backgrounds. There is not a special set of charac-
teristics or personality traits that are common to all
suicides. Unfortunately, suicide knows no boundaries.
This is obvious since all kinds of youth end their own
lives regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, economic
background, and mental or physical state. Neverthe-
less, there are some general risk factors that apply to
a large number of suicidal teens that may make sui-
cide more likely for a given individual.
In general, adolescents are at higher risk for en-
gaging in suicidal behaviors following a significant
loss such as the death of a friend or family member,
parental divorce or separation, or a breakup with aSUICIDE 397