Recognizing Suicidal Behavior

Suicide is the third main cause of death for teens ages from 10-24. Studies have proved that 90% of the teenagers that commit suicide generally present certain behaviors that can be described a suicidal. These behaviors can be:

• ·         Excessive sadness or moodiness.
• ·         Sudden calmness.
• ·         Withdrawal.
• ·         Changes in personality and/or appearance.
• ·         Dangerous or self-harmful behavior.
• ·         Recent trauma or life crisis.
• ·         Making preparations.
• ·         Threatening suicide.

Most of the teens present mood disorders which can be either a bipolar disorder or depression. In a bipolar disorder teens may change between three different behaviors which are mania (angry or very happy), depression (sad or irritable) and euthymia (normal mood). 

Teens that suffer from depression generally present certain characteristics which are:

• ·         Feeling sad, down, or irritable or not feeling like doing things.
• ·         Changes in sleeping or eating habits.
• ·         Feeling guilty, worthless, or hopeless.
• ·         Having less energy, or more difficulty paying attention.
• ·         Feeling lonely, get easily upset, or talk about wanting to be dead.
• ·         Lose interest in things they used to enjoy.

Mania and depression may happen at the same time; this state is called mixed state.  People that suffer from a mixed state may present this behavior which is characterized by:

• ·         Strong overreaction when things do not go their way.
• ·         Become hyper, agitated, or aggressive.
• ·          Be overwhelmed with thoughts or feelings.
• ·          Sleep less.
• ·         Talk a lot more.
• ·         Act in impulsive or dangerous ways.
• ·         Feel they can do things they really can't.
• ·         Spend money they do not have or give things away.
• ·         Insist on unrealistic plans for themselves or others

Consequences of teen violence

• Total direct and indirect costs of teen violence is more than $158 billion per year. 
• Six percent of teens missed school due to feelings of insecurity regarding being at school, or traveling to and from school. 
• Healthcare costs increase in communities with teen violence. 
• Costs arise from injury and death, such as medical care and funeral expenses. 
• Decreasing property values affect areas with high incidents of teen violence, impacting both long time residents and new residents

One of the main reason of violence in México is the fight against the narcotrafic implemented by Felipe Calderon

Teenagers who show signs of violent behavior cause concern in their parents. Violent teens are at risk for developing other violent behaviors and taking part in illegal activities, which puts the teens at more risk of being injured or arrested.
Something you can do is to show them your love and support, an of course help them to find a good way to deal with their angry feelings 

Teenage suicide facts: 

1. Nearly 30,000 Americans commit suicide every year.

2. In the U.S., suicide rates are highest during the spring.

3. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds and 2nd for 24 to 35-year-olds.

4. On average, 1 person commits suicide every 16.2 minutes.

5. Each suicide intimately affects at least 6 other people.

6. About 2/3 of people who complete suicide are depressed at the time of their deaths. Depression that is untreated, undiagnosed, or ineffectively treated is the number 1 cause of suicide.

7. There is 1 suicide for every 25 attempted suicides.

8. Males make up 79% of all suicides, while women are more prone to having suicidal thoughts.

9. 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year.

10. There are 2 times as many deaths due to suicide than HIV/AIDS.

11. Over 50% of all suicides are completed with a firearm.

Types of Violence

Violence is the intentional extreme form of aggression against oneself or another person.

There are different types of violence:

a) Physical Violence: When someone uses a part of their body or an object to control a person's actions.

• Using physical force which results in pain, discomfort or injury.
• Hitting, hair-pulling, arm-twisting, strangling, burning, stabbing, punching, pushing, slapping, beating, kicking, choking, biting etc.
• Assault & threats with a weapon or other object.
• Murder.

b) Sexual Violence: When a person is forced to unwillingly take part in sexual activity.

• Touching in a sexual manner without consent.
• Forcing a person to perform sexual acts that may be degrading or painful.
• Beating sexual parts of the body.
• Forcing a person to view pornographic material.
• Exhibitionism;
• Denial of a person’s sexuality or privacy.
• Humiliating, criticizing or trying to control a person’s sexuality.
• Forced prostitution.

c) Emotional Violence: When someone says or does something to make a person feel stupid or worthless.

• Name calling.
• Blaming all relationship problems on the person.
• Not allowing the person to have contact with family and friends.
• Destroying possessions.
• Jealousy.
• Humiliating or making fun of the person.
• Intimidating the person; causing fear to gain control.

d) Psychological Violence: When someone uses threats and causes fear in an individual to gain control.

• Threatening to harm oneself.
• Destruction of personal property.
• Verbal aggression.
• Socially isolating the person.
• Not allowing a competent person to make decisions.
• Inappropriately controlling the person’s activities.
• Treating a person like a child or a servant.

e) Spiritual Violence: When someone uses an individual's spiritual believes to manipulate, dominate o control that person.

• Not allowing the person to follow her or his preferred spiritual or religious tradition.
• Forcing a spiritual or religious path or practice on another person.
• Making fun of a person’s spiritual or religious tradition, beliefs or practices.
• Using one’s spiritual or religious position, rituals or practices to manipulate, dominate or control a person.

f) Cultural Violence: When an individual is harmed as a result of practices that are part of her culture, religion or tradition.

• Seeking divorce.
• Infidelity; committing adultery.
• Being raped.
• Lynching or stoning;
• Banishment.
• Abandonment of an older person at hospital by family.
• Female circumcision.
• Rape-marriage.
• Sexual slavery.
• Murder.

Violence graphics

Age at First Experience of Intimate Partner Violence for Women

Age at First Experience of Intimate Partner Violence for Men

Teen Dating Violence can be a catalyst to a pattern of behavior that changes the lives of teens forever. Increased awareness and action is needed to stop the abusers while they're still young and let the victims know they have support and help available to them.

• Only 33% of teens who were in an abusive relationship ever told anyone about it.
• Teen victims of dating violence are more likely to abuse drugs, have eating disorders, and attempt suicide.
• A recent survey of schools found there were an estimated 4,000 incidents of rape or other types of sexual assault in public schools across the country.
• In a study of gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents, youths involved in same-sex dating are just as likely to experience dating violence as youths involved in opposite sex dating.
• One third of high school students have been or will be involved in an abusive relationship.
• Dating violence is the leading cause of injury to young women.
• Nearly one quarter of girls who have been in a relationship reported going further sexually than they wanted as a result of pressure.

The 6th Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting was held at the Mexican Ministry for External Relations in Mexico City. The meeting was hosted by WHO and the Mexican Ministry of Health, with financial support from the latter and the California Wellness Foundation.

Under the theme "Towards measurable violence prevention targets" almost 300 experts from all over the world discussed progress in WHO´s Global Campaign for Violence Prevention and strategized the way ahead by:

• Presenting new data on homicide and on risk factors for interpersonal violence;
• Presenting new evidence on effective interventions to prevent interpersonal violence in developed and developing countries;
• Outlining what can be done to improve the capacity to measure violence prevention efforts;
• Agreeing on the need to consolidate efforts to strengthen the measurement of violence and violence prevention policies, programmes and laws;
• Calling for the establishment of a technical working group to inform the measurement of violence-related goals in the post-2015 development agenda.

The meeting was opened by the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr José Antonio Meade Kuribreña; the Mexican Minister of Health, Dr Mercedes Juan López; and the WHO Representative for Mexico, Dr Maureen Birmingham.

Suicide prevention programs and hotlines focus:

As a suicide prevention center, most of them focus in 8 steps toward recovery. These steps mark the possibilities of a better recovery:

- School training. This program/step focuses on the support of children and teachers in school. Each school has it's own counseling office where you get to talk about any problems. Counselors help identify suicidal thoughts and any problem dealing with suicide.
- Community gatekeeper training. These programs provide training members, staff, etc from school and communities. They also provide health care to treat any suicide attempt.
- General suicide education. Students are tought about the risks and the effect of the suicide attempts. Each learning contains an activity for integration and improvement of self-steem.
- Screening programs. This program contains tests to identify any risky behaviors in teenagers.
-Support programs. This program helps creating activities where the consultants play in social competition activities where they get to know about life skills. 
-Crisis centers and hotlines. Each country has to get a suicide prevention hotline. Hotlines get to help the teen by phone. They ask certain questions and drive them to any suicide rehab center or any clinic to attend. 
-Restriction of access to lethal means. Some activities have a certain purpose, like prohibiting the use of any weapon. 
-Intervention after a suicide. Certain programs like these, have the purpose to talk about the benefit of life. They help to prevent a future new suicide attempt.

Basic hotlines around the world:

Canada 514-723-4000

United Kingdom 08457-90-90-90

Argentina 23-930430

Armenia 2-538-194 or 2-538-197

Australia 1800-198-313

Austria 01-713-3374

Barbados 429-9999

Brazil 21-233-9191

China 852-2382-0000

Costa Rica 506-253-5439

Cyprus 0-777-267

Denmark 70-201-201

Egypt 7621602

Estonia 6-558-088

Finland 040-5032199

France 01-45-39-4000

Germany 0800-1110-111

Guatemala 502-254-1259

Holland 0900-0767

Honduras 504-237-3623

Hungary 62-420-111

India 91-22-307-3451

Italy 06-7045-4444

Japan 3-5286-9090

Lithuania 8-800-2-8888

Malaysia 03-756-8144

Mauritius 46-48-889 / 800-93-93

Mexico 525-510-2550

New Zealand 4-473-9739

Nicaragua 505-268-6171

Norway 815-33-300

Poland 52-70-000

Portugal 239-72-10-10

Republic of Ireland 1850-60-90-90

Russia 8-20-222-82-10

Singapore 800-221-4444 (000-227-0309) (24 hrs / 7 days)

Southern Africa 0861-322-322 (24 hrs)

South Korea 2-715-8600

Spain 91-459-00-50

Sri Lanka 1-692-909

St. Vincent 809-456-1044

Sweden 031-711-2400

Switzerland 143

Thailand 02-249-9977

Trinidad & Tobago 868-645-2800

Ukraine 0487-327715 / 0482-226565

Yugoslavia 021-623-393

http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html