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Shock and Grief
The Impact of Teen Suicide By Johnathon Allen
David Goodman was a pretty average 16-year-old kid. He was a rising star on the high school swim team and a successful student. But like many his age, David was restless and often suffered from extreme bouts of depression. When he failed to show up for breakfast on a school morning, his mother knew something was wrong.
"David was doing fine in school and he had good friends," says his mother, Melinda Goodman. "As his sophomore year progressed, though, he grew increasingly despondent about life. After a few weeks of worrying about him, we decided to take him to see a counselor."
Two days before David was to begin meeting with the counselor, his mother's worst fears became reality. The last night before school concluded for the summer, David wrote a brief note of apology, slipped out to the garage and used a ladder and rope to hang himself.
The wave of shock and grief that resulted from David's suicide forever changed his family, friends and community.
"Even though he had seemed depressed and moody, no one really expected David to do something like that," Goodman says. "It just doesn't seem right that someone so young should die so tragically. I could never understand why he felt it was his only option. I've spent a lot of time blaming myself."
In a survey of high school students conducted by the American Association of Pediatrics, 60 percent said they had thought about killing themselves, and 9 percent said they had tried at least once.
"The teen years are characterized by extreme stress, confusion, self-doubt and pressure to succeed," says suicide counselor Dr. Thomas Barton. "These issues are frequently compounded by divorce, substance abuse, major relocation and a number of indiscernible factors relating to the stress of modern life. Many teens who have a difficult time coping with the changes that accompany growing up see suicide as a way out."
Disturbingly, the teen suicide rate has risen an astonishing 200 percent in the last 40 years. Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, after auto accidents and homicide. Dr. Barton attributes the dramatic rise to a concurrent increase in divorce rates, teen drug abuse, the easy availability of guns and "increased economic pressure."
It's worth noting that teen suicide rates are twice as high among white males as among male minorities or females, and firearms are far and above the most common weapon of choice. Statistics also indicate that teen suicide rates in rural areas and the mountain states of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana are considerably higher than in the rest of the country.
