I was doing some research on the main factors that lead to suicide in young people and came across this really informative article which gives a short overview of the most important risk factors for late school-age children and adolescents, as established by scientific research in this domain.
Key risk factors found were: mental disorders, previous suicide attempts, specific personality characteristics, genetic loading and family processes in combination with triggering psychosocial stressors, exposure to inspiring models and availability of means of committing suicide. Further unraveling and knowledge of the complex interplay of these factors is highly relevant with regard to the development of effective prevention strategy plans for youth suicide.
Here are some of the insights that really took my attention:
-About 90% of people who commit suicide have suffered from at least one mental disorder. Mental disorders are found to contribute between 47 and 74% of suicide risk.
- Criteria for depression were found in 50–65% of suicide cases, more often among females than males. Substance abuse, and more specifically alcohol misuse, is also strongly associated with suicide risk, especially in older adolescents and males.
-Many studies find a strong link between previous suicide attempts, or a history of self-harm, and suicide. About 25–33% of all cases of suicide were preceded by an earlier suicide attempt, a phenomenon that was more prevalent among boys than girls.
-Suicide is associated with impulsivity . Although we know that a suicidal process can take weeks, months or even years, the fatal transition from suicidal ideation and suicide attempts to an actual completed suicide often occurs suddenly, unexpectedly and impulsively, especially among adolescents.
-It is estimated that in 50% of youth suicide cases, family factors are involved. One important factor is a history of mental disorders among direct family members themselves, especially depression and substance abuse.
-Interpersonal losses such as relationship break-ups, the death of friends and peer rejection may have a great impact in youth, and are found in one fifth of youth suicide cases.
For further information check out the following article:
“Did you really want to die?"
"No one commits suicide because they want to die."
"Then why do they do it?"
"Because they want to stop the pain.”
― Tiffanie DeBartolo, How to Kill a Rock Star