The Reality of Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention has been forgotten in the shadows. On school walls, bathrooms, and bulletin boards you see an announcement for a meeting, the schedule, or a school related event. Tell me, where are the links that someone could visit to help their friend in need? I don’t see enough or even any flyer to alert people that their friend or family member might be considering to end their life. We have all sorts of assemblies. But where are the ones informing about the 5000 teens who commit suicide every year? More than 13 of every 100,000 people aged 15 to 24 committed suicides and there is no other way any of them will know this if prevention programs come back from the shadows and inform the nation. Who is the one that is going to tell that suicide has become the third leading cause of teen deaths? Every 100 minutes a young person will end their life. It has become to my concern that schools are lacking on information regard what you can do to help, and how you can detect what your friend might be thinking. Teens in to be notified that it might not be normal that their friend changes eating habits, is dropping hints about suicide; making a plan, giving away prized possessions, being very obsessive and perfectionist, engaging in risky behaviors (driving recklessly, increased drug and alcohol use of abuse. They need to know what is happening. A large number will not come straight forward and let you know what they are planning. Teens have to know that there are places like 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-999-9999 where they can call if they need help or if they are trying to help a friend. In some cases teens who consider suicide generally feel alone, hopeless and rejected. They are more vulnerable to having these feelings if they parents with alcohol or drug problems, or have a family life affected by parental discord, disruptions, separation or divorce. But, a teenager may be depressed and/or suicidal without any of these. I believe that schools need to put a little more effort in informing their students on what is going on. These aren’t the 60’s where people thought that if you talked about suicide it would happen and if you don’t then every thing will be nice and dandy. We need to step into reality for a second and do something. Someone will appreciate it.


“If a young person you know seems depressed or gloomy and has been spending a lot of time questioning what life is worth the bother, its time to pay attention” – Anonymous parent (son lost to suicide).

Feature story

Young Trevor seemed to be having the time of his life. He was a good student and not only that but he was a great athlete. Trevor was a star at football. Nothing could be going bad. Little did anyone one that happy Trevor was suffering inside. He finally had enough and committed suicide. An honor student, he had friends but he was also gay. People didn’t know he was gay. And if they did he would not be accepted. That was why he lived by the book, being a perfect student and friend. He felt trapped and ended his life by hanging himself. His parents could not bear being inside the house that last saw their son alive. They spent the hall day at his high school.
Teen suicide has now taken 3rd in the top things that young people age 15-24 (after unintentional injury and homicide) die of. It has become forth leading cause of death in young people of ages 10 to 14. An average of two teens commits suicide in Washington State a week. 5000 is the number of teens who commit suicide every year. Every 100 minutes a teen commits suicide. 80 percent of the time a teen show signs or talks about committing suicide. The other 20 percent are people who you could have never expected. There lives seem perfect and little did anyone know until one day they decide to end their life. 4 times more men commit suicide them women, but women attempts suicide 3 times before men. 60 The percentage of high school students who said they had thought about killing themselves, according to a recent survey of high school students.
Districts like the Highline School District have a team of professionals to deal with the deaths of their peers. This “Crisis Team” gets called in by the principal according to how savior it is. The “Crisis Team” is made up from several well trained social workers and counselors. They set up a safe counseling room. The crisis team works with teachers and staff to deal with deaths. Depression can add to the thoughts of suicide. Most of the time before a teen commits suicide they give signs like: Changes in eating habits, dropping hints about suicide; making a plan, giving away prized possessions, being very obsessive and perfectionist, engaging in risky behaviors (driving recklessly, increased drug and alcohol use of abuse.

For the last couple of years suicide prevention has moved on to they shadow. The brochures and flyers that once floated at every high school bulletin board now lay in file cabinets. During the 1960’s suicides were hidden. What this means is that no one talked about it and no one tried to fight against them. It was thought that if you talked about it then they would happen. There wasn’t anyone there to help with the loss, sorrow, and grief.
“If a young person you know seems depressed or gloomy and has been spending a lot of time questioning what life is worth the bother, its time to pay attention” – Anonymous parent (son lost to suicide).

10 Open Ended Questions

I am going to interview Ms. Webber because she heard me talk about the assignment and she called me over and told me that she had a lot of knowledge on it.

10 Open Ended Questions

1.How does suicide in teens make you feel?
2.How are you in any way connected to the subject in this matte?
3.If there is any any way to decrease the statistics what would have to happen?
4.If you had a chance to save someone specifically what would you have done?
5.What do you have to say to teens who have committed suicide?
6.When do you consider suicide to be acceptable?
7.Why do you have a lot of knowledge in this matter?
8.Tell me about a person that you know who committed suicide, how were they like?
9. how does this impact you personally?
10.Why do you think teens have a higher chance of committing suicide?

Megan Meire's Death

Junior High, when you are just learning to live and independent live. You’re no longer a child. You’re not even an adult yet. A night out with your friends, to a movie, perhaps. What is there to really worry about? It is time to leave to leave all the drama behind. You’re at your highest point of technology, having a conversation could not be any easier when you happen to be a couple of miles away and can easily access a computer.
Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, Megan Meire a young girl not even 14 years of age sits at her computer browsing for new friends. A young 16 year old gentleman approaches her with a friend request. Catching her eye she approves. They begin to talk more and more. Josh was home schooled did not have a phone yet because he had just moved into town. They never saw each other in person or spoke. Soon they became closer than anyone would have thought. Having suffered of depression and attention defaces disorder which she was under medication for, her parents are happy to see that their daughter is happy. Even though they were concerned for their daughters’ online safety, seeing her happy over powered that feeling.
A couple of months later what had been a blossom of a great relationship turned around. What started out as welcome compliments turned to unwanted insults. In an email exchange between Megan and the Josh Evans, Josh Evans told Megan that he no longer wanted to be her friend because he had heard that Megan was mean to her so called friends. A long with more insulting emails. As if that wasn’t enough the emails shared between the two teens had been revealed to the world. Bulletins were posted instigating that Megan was a “ho “. Eventually Megan’s mother, Christina Laherty found out. Christina Laherty confronted Megan do to vulgar language that Megan had use in those emails. Megan replied, “You are supposed to be my mother you are supposed to be on my side”. She them stormed into her room. Minutes later Josh said "Everybody in O'Fallon knows how you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a shitty rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." Meier responded with a message saying “You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over.”
About 20 minutes later her parents found her in her closet. She had hung herself. Despite all the attempts to revive her, Megan died the next day.

Josh Evan was nothing more than a fictional character. Or at least that was what he was supposed to be. "Gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people", that was the purpose. This fictional character and account was created by a mother of what was supposed to be Megan's friend. Lori Drew's admitted that along with her self and daughter, Ashley Grills, an 18 year old coworker and several other people contributed to the account. A simple plan to find the truth, a game of online harassment ended a young life 3 weeks before her 14Th birthday. Cyber bullying kills.
“If you bully somebody face to face, and they get upset, you see them cry and be hurt. When it's over the Internet, you can't see the emotional reaction and go along thinking it's no big deal.”
-Robin Kowalski