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May 25, 2006
Suicidal adolescents
Troubled adolescents send warning signals; however, most go unnoticed and untreated. Families should create a safe and supportive environment to reduce the likelihood of young people attempting suicide, writes Sadaf Lalani
Adolescence is characterised by physical, emotional and social changes in growing youngsters. This transient period of growth is vital in transforming a child into an adult. However, in our society this phase of life is handled insensitively by both parents and other concerned people such as the extended family members and teachers. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines an adolescent as a person between the ages of 10 and 19 years.
Suicidal attempts at this age are very common. There are no worldwide official records of non-fatal suicidal behaviours (suicide attempts) largely because on average only about 25 per cent of the cases need or seek medical intervention; therefore most of them go unreported. Suicides are among the three leading causes of death for adolescents and suicide rates among this particular age bracket are rising faster than the other groups.
Girls and boys are treated differently throughout the world, however. At puberty this gender divide becomes more pronounced, especially in our part of the world. During adolescence, the world expands for boys and contracts for girls. Boys enjoy new privileges while girls endure new restrictions.
External factors have a tremendous impact on how adolescents think and behave and the values and attitude of their immediate family affect their mental stability to a great extent. The social circle of adolescents also determines their transition from this sensitive phase to adult life. When they are close to their families, it changes how they feel about themselves and the choices they make.
Suicidal attempts among teenaged girls are influenced significantly by factors such as domestic responsibilities, access to schooling, early marriage and child-bearing. Many girls are virtually entrapped in the domestic sphere before their marriage. This confinement keeps girls within the house, where they undergo a rigorous apprenticeship for adulthood.
An intense training for a lifelong role as wife and mother is imparted. Consequently, the pressure of domestic work constrains their access to schooling and their ability to concentrate on their studies.
At the onset of menstruation, lives of girls often change abruptly. Evidently, the physiological changes together with the hormonal variations in the body, affect their psyche tremendously. Studies have shown that these factors could be the predisposing factors in psychiatric illnesses of women, together with personality factors. Stress and domestic conditions lead to suicidal attempts directly or indirectly. At times girls find the restrictions imposed on them very frustrating.
Girls, however, in most traditional cultures move more or less directly from puberty into marriage and childbearing. Early marriage is associated with limited or no education, and prematurely ends girls’ ‘personal growth’.
Of all the deaths among adolescents, suicides are perhaps the most devastating. According to Dr Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO Assistant-Director General, “For every suicide death there are scores of family and friends whose lives have been devastated emotionally, socially and economically.” Social, parental, or familial developmental interferences, peer group pressure, broken homes, marital discords in parents, generation gap between the children and parents, and collective traumatic experiences all seem to have detrimental effects on the adolescents.
It is the ultimate responsibility of every individual to prevent a teenager from taking his/her life. Efforts to reduce suicidal tendencies among young people must be made because the untimely loss of a young life leaves not only a legacy of unfulfilled promise, but feelings of shock, guilt, grief and despair among loved ones and friends, too.
It is highly important to recognise the symptoms. Troubled pre-adults usually try to send signals of despair; however, they go unnoticed and untreated. These are not ‘natural’ reactions to the challenges of growing up, but signs of illness. Families should create a safe and supportive environment to reduce the likelihood of young people attempting suicide. Moreover, young people should be provided with appropriate opportunities to manage emotions, solve problems and negotiate conflicts.
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