The world of live events, terrorist attacks, or accidents that result in hundreds or thousands of deaths in a few minutes is the world of today. Information travels fast but gets lost even faster, so while the first-minute reactions appear to be tremendous and game-changing, nothing happens after. This reality creates a colossal disproportion, and cases that require most of the attention possible, like suicidal rates among youth, tend to be ignored, as they are deeply disturbing and challenging to approach. Still, while it is a sensitive issue, suicides cannot be put aside, now is the time when their rates increase, and newer generations of adolescents are more exposed to this risk than ever.
The current situation worldwide is concerning, as the number of factors influencing adolescents’ lives increases exponentially. The documentary under analysis was filmed more than ten years ago, and even back then, the professionals signaled their awareness about the levels of anxiety, stress, depression, fears among teenagers. Unfortunately, the situation has not gotten better since then. Most of the young people reported that considering committing suicide was not because they wanted to die, but because they could not bear the pain and emotional hurdles they faced daily (Murphy, 2009).
Another reason was that they could not think of any other ways to release the accumulated anger and show the world how great was their suffering (Murphy, 2009). It is also not the topic any authorized agencies are eager to discuss, knowing they have failed to be there for those kids or pay enough attention to the signs (Murphy, 2009). As mental health issues are still not a part of the worldwide agenda and are considered less important than academic performance, the fight for the paradigm shift becomes harder.
Among the factors associated with suicide are stress, peer pressure, bullying, family issues, relationship troubles, and more. Adolescence is the time when social connections become most important, and perception by others greatly affects one’s self-esteem. The signs are not always easily trackable; for example, pediatricians pick up on around a fifth of adolescents at risk, while in 90% of the cases, parents have no idea something is going wrong with their child (Murphy, 2009). Although sometimes teenagers are leading a double life, hiding the darker side of it and generally doing well, it is more often than they send various signals about their depression or anxiety, but are left unnoted.
There are ways to deal with emotional issues at any age, but it is better to tackle the problem before it arises. Around 50% of all serious psychiatric diseases start by the age of 14, so working with kids early is key (Murphy, 2009). Mental health problems are often rooted in troubled relationships between children and their parents; the lack of open communication and dialogue is central to this subject (Murphy, 2009). Therefore, parents are expected to put more effort to understand their kids better, establish relationships based on trust, and prevent them from having to deal with their problems alone in the future.
Another aspect that forms the background of unhealthy adolescent behaviors is the Internet. Although social networks, to some extent, existed when the film aired, there is no doubt that nowadays the scope of the problem expanded dramatically, driving young people further from the real world. The central issue here is that exposure to a toxic digital environment representing the fake image of other people’s lives only increases anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.
All in all, the problem of suicides among adolescents remains taken out of the discussion in many countries, although the rates of their spread show the opposite dynamic. It is a question that includes multiple dimensions and requires work on the personal, familial, and social levels. Still, as the suicide rates worsen globally, more efforts are necessary to provide adolescents at risk with support and guidance on how to deal with negativity.
Reference
Murphy, M. (Producer). (2009). A cry for help [Video file]. Web.