Recent findings from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that suicide rates among teenage girls and boys have been increasing since the 1970s.
In a line graph published on the official website of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate for boys and girls of these ages shows a steadily climbing rate which is alarming.
Alarming suicide rates in teens in the USA CDC pic.twitter.com/WSdTyB0Exq
— Jane Flowers (@zimkwacha) August 6, 2017
The Huffington Post looked at the findings and reported that suicide rate for females aged 15 to 19 doubled from the year 2007 to 2015.
The rate reached its highest peak in two decades. Meanwhile, the report added that suicide rate for males aged 15 to 19 climbed to about 30 percent in the same time span.
Though statistics focused on data recorded between 2007 and 2015, there is reportedly new information available that has been recorded in recent years.
The Huffington Post analyzed the results and came out with figures. According to the article, the number of teen boys committing suicide climbed from 12 per 100,000 people in the mid-1970s to 18 suicides per 100,000 people in the year 1990.
Alarming as ever
Suicide is considered a growing public health concern. It can be traced from a number of mental health issues. The report noted that teen depression rates are also rising, partly because patients have a certain stigma and fear of calling for help.
When patients fail to ask for medical support in time, the number of cases rise. Among the causes of why people commit suicide are untreated mental health issues, the report added.
Causes of mental health problems are also enumerated in the article. Such causes include excessive use of social media platforms, economic problems, family-related issues, bullying, living in a violent environment and more.
These causes can then lead to depression.
Need for treatment
There is a common belief that teenagers are happy go-lucky individuals, but Suicide Awareness Voices of Education executive director Dan Reidenberg said to HuffPost that they can also get depressed. Some people simply don't take teenage depression seriously, thinking it is something they will grow out of, "but these are serious struggles that need to be evaluated and treated," Reidenberg pointed out.
“While the teen brain is still developing, teens do struggle with real mental problems, which need evaluation and treatment,” he told The Huffington Post. “The report should serve as a wake-up call. Dying by suicide should not be an option.”
