Suicide has become a great menace in many countries such as the United States. Health facilities in different regions have recorded an increase in suicide rates among young people. Various aspects have been associated with suicide among the youth. Health care providers have also been encouraged to focus on risk factors when performing adolescent health history. Some of the aspects are physical and sexual abuse, family history of suicide, and previous suicide attempts.
Physical and sexual abuse is one of the risk factors since it affects the self-esteem of the victim. Moreover, people who experience sexual abuse are likely to develop poor mental health, such as depression, which may lead to suicide (Ng et al., 2018). Thus, health care providers should ensure that such individuals undergo therapy sessions to change their thinking patterns and avoid suicide.
A family history of suicide can increase the probability of a person committing suicide. People from households with cases of completed suicide are at increased risk of committing suicide to emulate their members. Moreover, a family history of suicide can lead to other family members’ mental health complications, leading to increased chances of another member committing suicide (Miller & Black, 2020). Consequently, health care providers should encourage such adolescents to engage in activities that can improve their mental health and avoid being idle. For instance, medical practitioners can encourage them to engage in sports and other activities such as dancing and gaming.
A previous suicide attempt is another significant risk factor among adolescents. In most cases, people who have a failed suicide attempt are likely to commit suicide (Hansson et al., 2018). Failure to counsel such individuals increases their likelihood of attempting suicide. Therefore, health practitioners are encouraged to closely monitor such persons and ensure that they are guided to limit their risks of another suicide attempt. Health practitioners can refer such patients to a therapist where psychodynamic therapy methods can help them change their thoughts and behaviors.
To conclude, suicide among youth should be curbed by all means. Medical practitioners should develop ways of ensuring that issues that can increase the chances of suicide are limited. Some of the resources that can help the patients are the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Basics education programs, NAMI on campus clubs for students, and NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group for individuals living with mental health problems. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is another resource that can support people with a high risk of committing suicide.
References
Hansson, C., Joas, E., Pålsson, E., Hawton, K., Runeson, B., & Landén, M. (2018). Risk factors for suicide in bipolar disorder: A cohort study of 12 850 patients.Acta psychiatrica scandinavica, 138(5), 456-463. Web.
Miller, J. N., & Black, D. W. (2020). Bipolar disorder and suicide: A review. Current psychiatry reports, 22(2), 1-10. Web.
Ng, Q. X., Yong, B. Z. J., Ho, C. Y. X., Lim, D. Y., & Yeo, W. S. (2018). Early life sexual abuse is associated with increased suicide attempts: An update meta-analysis. Journal of psychiatric research, 99, 129-141. Web.