3. The Generation Game
Teen Suicide

Every teen-ager no matter the color of his skin, his beliefs or his origins is sometimes confused about his life. Some of the youngsters don’t have someone to talk to or don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents and relatives about their problems and doubts. One of the solutions that teen-agers find is escaping from reality through the consume of alcohol and narcotics or they run away from home.
The worst end of a youngster’s adolescence is death.
More and more, teen-agers seem to be turning to suicide as a desperate solution to seemingly insolvable problems and feelings. Suicide is the sixth leading cause of death for 5- to 14-year-olds and the third leading cause for 15- to 24-year-olds. Alarmingly, the numbers are growing.
Whether a teen-ager actually wants to die or not, his suicidal behavior speaks of deep feelings of impotence and helplessness. Given the changes and challenges that adolescence poses, including physical, hormonal changes, social and academic demands and a shifting role in the family, youngsters may well feel overwhelmed and alone. In addition, today’s society offers a series of environmental stresses- divorce, single-parent homes blended even families, poverty, overtaxed school systems, negative peer pressure, as well as increased exposure to violence and illicit drugs- that even the most resourceful youngster can have difficulty managing.
Suicidal attempts are not uncommon with children and adolescents who have drug problems or conduct disorders or whose behavior seems aggressive rather than despondent. Although it may be tempting to dismiss such attempts as manipulative, they must be taken seriously, not only in terms of their immediate danger but also as possible expressions of extreme frustration, pain, anger and impulsiveness. Youngsters with conduct disorders are notoriously inarticulate and may illustrate their pain with self-destructive acts.
At the same time, teen-age behavior may seem perplex