Teen suicide: an often ignored reality

by Erica Rabito

Earlier this month, the news of the third in a string of suicides among teens in Newton was released to the public. Karen Douglas, Katie Stack, and Roee Grutman were all students at high schools in Newton who chose to end their lives. Their parents have all expressed shock and understandable despair at the loss of their children. A statement put forth by Grutman’s school principal also expressed this sadness.

“There were no indications to any of us — or to his family — that Roee was even contemplating suicide. There are no easy answers. It is simply beyond comprehension,” stated principal Stembridge in an email addressing the community.

Unfortunately, this statement is very familiar. Far too often when teens commit suicide their families are confused as to what caused this tragedy, or shocked at the idea of their child doing such a thing when they hadn’t even seen any signs!

When looked for however, the signs of depression can be found very easily, and are being discovered more and more among teens in the recent years. The Mayo Clinic listed a few of these emotional symptoms:
·         Feelings of sadness, which can include crying spells for no apparent reason
·         Irritability, frustration or feelings of anger, even over small matters
·         Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
·         Loss of interest in, or conflict with, family and friends
·         Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, fixation on past failures or exaggerated self-blame or self-criticism

If these sound familiar to you, it’s because you have probably heard them repeated over and over as simply “teenagers being teenagers.” Because these real and difficult to deal with symptoms are often brushed aside by parents and other adults, teens feel the need to internalize their struggles and keep their feelings to themselves.

Doctors and therapists usually suggest sharing feelings with others in order to deal with them and move past them properly. Having their emotions constantly disregarded can deepen a depression and even lead to thoughts of suicide. Teens believe that no one will understand or be willing to understand them.

Parents, guardians and adults in general need to recognize that teenagers deserve to be taken seriously and respected when they ask for the help that they need, or show the signs of needing help but are too afraid to ask for it.

If you see any of the previously mentioned signs in a loved one, talk to a guidance counselor, a trusted adult, or go to a website such as www.save.org to find more information on how to help. In order for levels to decrease, teen suicide needs to be recognized as a real and treatable problem, and needs to be treated by everyone as such.