Suicide rates in Adolescence

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 Essential Question: How does mental health concerns affect young adolescents? 

Focus Questions: Why are suicide rates so prevalent in adolescents? How can educators implement mindfulness into the curriculum? What is the young adult perception of suicide? Should schools take an active role in mental health education? What are a few coping mechanisms for young teens? 

Overview: Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in people ages 10-25. Suicidal Ideation is extremely prevalent in young teens ranging from fleeting to making an actual suicide attempt. Social media, bullying, drugs, and depression are a few examples of things that contribute to young children being suicidal. 

Why: As someone who struggles with mental illness, I have a personal connection to this topic. Suicidal Ideation began when I was 10. My suicide attempt was at the age of 15 during my Sophomore year of high school. I was unaware of any resources or coping mechanisms to help me.  Relating to this topic has made me curious about how I can speak about mental health in my classroom. Discussing suicide in classrooms has the ability to save a child's life.

Titles: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Perks of Being a Wallpaper by Stephen Chbosky, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. 

Resources: I plan to use websites such as EBSCO host for peer-reviewed articles, Mayo Clinic to receive medical facts, and teach tolerance to understand how to implement suicide awareness into the curriculum. 

Claim: Bullying and self-image can lead to depression in adolescents; leading the student to potentially commit suicide. 

Challenges: How can you create a safe space so students are willing to talk about the topic? How to implement mindfulness and teach the curriculum? What is too far with discussing this topic? How can parents be involved in the conversation? 

Comments

  1. toriehicksNovember 11, 2020 at 9:36 PM

    This is a great- very deep topic to research. I remember when I was in middle school, they did school assembly's around this topic- you may could research this. Honestly, I do not really think that they were as effective as they thought- I think that it would do much better in a classroom setting. In my clinical however, they have been having to take anonymous "tests" asking how they are, and if they are okay. This is something else that you may consider researching. If these tests are anonymous how effective are they? BUT, if they are not anonymous, will students give honest answers?

    I don't know, this is a hard topic altogether and I applaud you for taking on this topic. I think that you will do a great job with this, especially since it hits so close to home. I am so sorry for what you have had to go through A'keriah. I am thankful that you have overcome this and are now seeking change in adolescents, so that they don't have to go through the challenges that you went through. I struggle with anxiety, and have my whole life. I have went through rough stages similar to this as well. I can't wait to see your presentation! I am looking forward to it. :)

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