{"id":29238,"date":"2023-05-30T09:25:52","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T07:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/teen-suicide\/"},"modified":"2023-05-30T09:25:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T07:25:52","slug":"teen-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/teen-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen Suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>

TEEN SUICIDE: WARNING SIGNS<\/p>\n

Teenagers are complicated beings. Although we\u2019ve all been one at a point in our life, it wasn\u2019t in the world teenagers are living in today. We can\u2019t truly begin to understand the pressures they\u2019re exposed to, with social media and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic \u2013 let alone crime and social injustice.<\/em><\/p>\n

Even if we speak to our teens, they don\u2019t always open up enough for us to fully under\u0002stand the state of their mental and emotional wellbeing.<\/p>\n

These statistics tell a frightening story:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Globally, suicide is the second-leading cause of death in children and youth (young adults) between the ages of 15 and 29 (World Health Organization).<\/li>\n
  • More teenagers and youth die from suicide than birth defects, cancer, AIDS, heart disease and strokes, chronic lung disease, influenza and pneumonia \u2013 combined.<\/li>\n
  • Four out of five individ\u0002uals who are consider\u0002ing committing suicide exhibit signs of their intentions, whether verbal or behavioural.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The reality is that teen suicide can be prevented, provided we pick up on the warning signs in time and get them professional help as soon as possible. These are some of the signs to look out for. However, all teens are unique \u2013 they have di\u001ferent circumstances and emotions. So, don\u2019t rely on these alone. Any out-of-the-ordinary behaviour should be noted and taken seriously.<\/p>\n

    These statistics tell a frightening story:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Is your teen having trouble at school? A break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or even bullying can leave them devastated. Is there trouble at home? Home should be their safe haven, but when teens experience a divorce or the death of a loved one, they can be vulnera\u0002ble. Even a major family conflict can have an impact on their wellbeing.<\/p>\n

    Read between the lines<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If your teen starts talking about suicide, or death in general, don\u2019t take it lightly. Sometimes they may express feelings of hopelessness or drop hints that they see no point in living anymore. They may be carrying guilt and shame for something they did or said that they\u2019re too embarrassed to admit. Ask them questions, to get to the bottom of their emotional state.<\/p>\n

    Take note of changes in behaviour<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Some teens express themselves by writing poems, songs or letters that speak about loss, or even death. Others will give items they treasure to friends or siblings. Have they stopped participating in their favourite sports or activities? Are they having trouble concentrating at school, with their marks taking a dive? Even a notable change in their sleeping and eating patterns could be cause for concern.<\/p>\n

    Risk factors also play a part<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If your teen lives with depression or has been diag\u0002nosed with bipolar mood disorder, you\u2019d need to be extra-vigilant around their mental and emotional state. A family history of suicide could also point to undiag\u0002nosed and genetic depression or bipolar disorder. Other important risk factors are substance abuse, eating disorders, lack of a social support network, or the loss of a parent to death or divorce. Bullying is also a major risk factor in teens.<\/p>\n

    If your teen shows signs of suicidal behaviour, speak to them immediately and get them professional help. There are a number of mental-health organisations, helplines and sup\u0002port groups that o\u001fer free professional assistance. Or take them straight to the emergency rooms at your local hospital.<\/p>\n

    If you or your loved one needs support during this time, reach out to your ICAS EHWP via your toll-free number or the ICAS On-the-Go App to seek counselling support<\/p>\n

    Written by LifeAssist<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3690,"featured_media":29239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature-articles"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-01 06:21:46","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29240,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29238\/revisions\/29240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workcarewellness.co.za\/healthwise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}