Monday, April 29, 2013

The 21st Century and Adolescent Suicide

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One of the more serious situations, which plague the fragile fabric of our interacting society, is adolescent suicide. A diminishing community involvement in a child's life, and the confidence in relationships with peers and adults, adds to the anxiety of growth. As a society we have a propensity of single mindedness toward adolescent behavior patterns attributed to suicide. There are many reasons attributed to this growing trend of coping with their changing world but as we consider the problem, signs of such activity are subtle. As we look at the subtlety and significance of these signs involved with suicide it is difficult for the untrained eye and ear to ascertain. Those who are adept at making the decisions for intervention are parents, teachers, peers, and if visits are frequent, the family physician. A question that is most often asked is what brings a child to the point of committing suicide? One of the factors that heighten the willingness to engage in such an endeavor is stress and lack of clear direction modeled by adults and those in authority or influence in our society. Adolescents raised in prior eras were given a direction for their future with examples that commensurate with the rhetorical patterns of the period albeit not all good there was a tangible certainty of the future. As we look at the models of behavior for children and adolescents in modern times, adults are pre occupied with being forever young engaging in immature and irresponsible behavior such as casual sexual behavior, leniency on teenage pregnancy, promoting promiscuous behavior in media, easy divorce as opposed to problem solving, suggestive clothing, lack respect for the importance of modeling behavior between other adults and their children; and self esteem that youth have engaged in their individual behaviors reflective of adult mannerisms that lack of judgment morality, compassion and empathy. Attitudes among adolescents differ in the exposure and performance of interpersonal, social and workplace skills.
The contributing factors involved with suicidal tendencies may be the result nebulous expectations and uncertainty of future security, a series of stressful events, or health issues. Depressions as a result of health issues are closely monitored for the protection of the patient simplifying detection. The subtle entities of these stimuli are more common in occurrence but underrated as a cause and effect factor in suicidal tendencies. These include the loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend, a parent through divorce, the death of a loved one, a sudden and unexplained move from familiar surroundings of friends and a familiar neighborhood. The public, family or friends, failure at school, and interactions with the law can attribute some psychological causes to humiliation. These events, albeit common, do not always result in suicide but the addition of depression, alcohol, and or drug abuse to the equation of suicidal tendencies renders the situation volatile producing feelings of hopelessness, depression and helplessness. Alcohol is extremely underrated as a precursor of suicide. Eighty percent of individuals who attempt suicide engage in alcohol before their attempts. The effect alcohol has on the body especially in over indulgence, cause regrets and anxiety when the alcohol is no longer available.
Individuals with depression combined with anxiety, a form psychosis or beliefs deferred are at higher risk. The advent of the gang situation is a result this form of psychosis. Adolescents in the inner city have adopted a new form of acceptance from society, which in itself is a form of suicide. Young gang members have been disillusioned about the world in which they live and their disadvantages. More than not the role models comprise of alcoholism, abuse, single parent families, little or no support for the school attendance, and lack of life skills modeling. There was a time that it was not good for someone in the "hood" to posses any qualities of manners and education only being accused of being white. The parental modeling profiles are never standard in these situations but the "alternative family" or "homies" has had enough of an influence to licit an alternative life style for many of the inner city adolescence. While this tends to be a predominately male endeavor the females often are the innocent victims relenting to demeaning behavior, pregnancies, a total lack of self-esteem, often being sexually and physically abused. This backlash is a type of suicidal behavior pattern of inner city adolescents. The music in itself is begging for help while reflecting their newfound values. Those that maintain these delusions of a greener pastures are at a higher risk of suicide than individuals who do not have this stigma attached to their psychological profile. Because of age, experience, and depth in processing, understanding patterns that lead to disharmony in life does not allow them to produce alternative decision making processes. Anticipation, inhibitions, and consequences of suicidal interjections lessen with the use of drugs and alcohol that is a donor to disaster as it slowly engages its victims down a difficult path difficult to reverse.
Treatment, Prevention, and Diagnosis
The adolescent youth usually confide in their friends. The IT boom has made the amount of information a 13 year old is exposed is disquieting. As we have mentioned before the signs that an overt attempt at suicide is imminent has many windows; parting with favorite possessions, social withdrawal, falling grades, over striving for acceptance are some of the subtle signs. Statements such as "What is my purpose here, I don't count", "I wish I were dead", and"Nobody loves me anymore" are clearer signs of expression. To minimalise a suicide attempt by teachers, parents, and other caretakers may send a signal of not caring to the adolescent and will try the act again. This is a direct correlation with the quality of time we spend with our adolescents. There is a great difference between the intent to commit suicide and the actual completion of the act. An example would be an adolescent who takes harmless spills with the intent to commit the act should be considered at risk. There are a number of factors involved in the seriousness of the attempt to commit suicide whether it is planned or spontaneous whether or not there was a cover up attempt to hide the fact that these issues were indeed on the fore front of the individuals mind. The type of methods used and its success rate are other determining factors in the diagnosis. There are three types of suicidal events there is of course the completed suicide were a death has occurred, the suicide attempt is where a life was intended upon being taken but was not successful. Suicidal gestures are an attempt to commit suicide that was not intended.
Communicating to our youth about the ease and consequences of falling into a behavior pattern of suicide is a must. A trained peer group is just as capable of stopping a suicide as an intervention center. Educating children to use proper language, not keeping secrets from those that can help and recognizing the signs are an important. Identifying suicidal thinking can lead to interventions. All types of suicide attempts are to be taken seriously no matter how minute the problem may seem.
Data
Approximately two thirds of those who attempt suicide attempt to do it again with success. The signs are as simple as self-inflicting wounds that may appear to be play scratches or taking more than the prescribed amount of pills. Most suicides are in the category of attempted and gesture. Suicides that result in death are about ten percent. Although most suicidal behavior does not result in death, 10% of people who try to kill themselves using a potentially fatal means do die from their actions. Suicidal tendencies result from a combination of factors represented to the victim. One of the major battles is depression, mania, and anxiety. Depression is involved in over fifty percent of those attempted. Medical disorders associated with depression may lead to suicidal tendencies. Some of the known disorders that cause suicide are delusional disorders, auditory hallucinations or that voice in the head that says. "This is the thing we need to do", personality disorders, antisocial behaviors, or those with a violent history.
Methods vary and are usually cultural and socially oriented. The availability of useful tools vary in each situation and is dependent upon factors such as spontaneity. A gunshot wound is more often than not fatal an overdose has a way out and is usually done when a rescue is imminent but the intent may just have been as serious. Completed suicides are generally procured by gunshot in the United States. Males tend to prefer this method or attempt while women tend to be less violent and pursue the direction of over dose or poisoning or drowning.
Conclusion
We often assume that treatment is the final stage in the treatment plan. "I am in treatment", "I am better now". This is the time to guard someone involved in an attempt to take their life They will tell you that they are feeling better than they actually do. This is a time some find they have a renewal of energy to complete the task or it is a way of releasing anxiety. Nearly sixty percent of all completed suicides are committed with a firearm. Keep them away from adolescents at all time. There should not be an instance where they need one. The gun does not excite the behavior does not feed into the plan. And while having a firearm does not in itself promote suicidal behavior, knowing that one is accessible may help a troubled teen formulate his or her suicidal plans. Our world is an astonishing place on which to live. As adults our mission should be in the passing of wealth and goodness of the planet to our children as opposed to selfishly raping the planet and forget our duty to protect our children's interests in lieu of a percentage.

How Internet Affects Mental Health

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The lives of millions of people around the world have never been the same since the advent of the internet. It has breached the barriers of commerce and built bridges for global collective research and education. It has greatly modified public communication, information acquisition and amusement. Sending of important information or simple personal greetings is made possible in the fastest way through e-mail.
These days you do not have to spend hours in the library to gather information for research work as everything is already simplified for you through the internet. All you have to do is open your laptop, type in what you are looking for and then indulge in the overflow of information. Most people will just tell you to "Google It" when you ask them about something. Moreover, people miles apart can conduct conferences as if they are just conducting it on one table.
The above mentioned are only a few the wonderful advantages offered to us by the internet. However, these advantages also have its positive and negative effects on people. This article will particularly discuss the effects of the internet to the mental status.
Sure, being afflicted with diseases is one cause why people use the internet to look for health information. But recent studies reveal that most people who search the web for health information are healthy people and that they are usually looking up information for a loved one or simply to be informed.
These people may have all the good intentions, but little did they know that what they are doing may bring harm to their mental stability. Knowing too much about health conditions may cause rumination thereby triggering anxiety or hypochondriasis which is the over-preoccupation of having severe illness. Obtaining too much information about diseases may bring about pointless concerns for their own health or for their family. Otherwise healthy people may encounter problems in their psychological state.
Additionally, an increase in incidences of depression have been related to excessive participation in online games, gambling and even window shopping.
In relation to this, researchers found out that sadistic online games influence hostility to players specifically children and teenagers.
On the brighter side of things, easy communication brought about by the internet augments social ties and creates new ones. Distance does not anymore prove to be a barrier for loved ones to bond. The effect is greater positive affect, low levels of stress and generally good psychological functioning.
On the other hand, people who have reduced social communication due to their distance are observed to have poor psychological functioning and high stress levels. But be warned as well, because online communication with strangers through chat sites may also not be good to your psychological and emotional health.
To some extent, the internet offers so many forms of entertainment that it is the easiest and most attainable form of reprieve from the stresses of the real world.
These things do not necessarily happen to everyone using the internet as they are all but possibilities. How it affects you will still rely on the way you use it. To help you with, just remember that the real world is outside and that too much of anything is generally not good. Enjoy the real life...go on a picnic, go camping, laugh, love, live...
Charles E. Moore enjoys writing for Vuyanilodge.com which offers safari holidays in south africa and african safari honeymoon as well as a host of additional services.

Depression: Feeling Blue?

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Expert Author Karl M McDonald
Many people use the term depression very loosely. We love to say "I am depressed" to mean that we are feeling sad, down in the dumps or simply to be over-dramatic about things. We know that being depressed and being sad are synonymous or rather overlap in meaning (no two words in the English language are perfectly synonymous) but this is far from accurate.
Depression does involve feeling sad but people who are sad are not always depressed. Depression is, to begin with, a much more intense sadness. It is a sadness that is deeper and does not seem to budge. It is haunting for the sufferer and conditions their life in a way that sadness does not. Depressed people lose interest in doing the things they loved, in socializing and meeting their friends, they suffer from insomnia or erratic sleep, feel tired all the time and have memory lapses - this is just to mention just a few things.
Depression is there to stay unless you do something about it. It rarely just goes away on its own especially if your situation does not change. You could be depressed because severe alcohol abuse or drug abuse but you could also be suffering from post natal depression, depression as a result of a trauma or loss of someone you loved. Depression is such a complex and varied condition of which there are so many different types.
Treatment:
Treatment is one of several. People with depression need someone to talk to and help them out of their state of depression. They could use the services of a psychologist (perhaps psychotherapists or a cognitive behavioral therapist). Sometimes depression is due to patterns of thoughts that become ingrained, ways of seeing the world that need to be changed. A qualified therapist can help change a depressed person's negative views.
Medication could be a very important aspect of treating depression. This is because depression is also a physical condition just like diabetes. It is caused by certain changes in the brain structure and in the balance of special brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Prolonged stress on the brain can lead to these changes which make a person depressed. There are various drugs which can be prescribed to you to help you get through your depression.
Tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are the main groups. In each of these three, there are many different medications that can used. Many times depressed people need to juggle and try different medications as what may work for one person might not actually work for another person.
Ideally you make the best of both and take medication as well as see a therapist. If you feel alone and constantly wondering whether you are the only one feeling the way you do then you could try group therapy. In group therapy you share your experiences with other people with your same condition. It could be a huge relief and help you deal with it better: to hear people going through those very same experiences that you thought only you had.
Depression is a complex condition. There are also genetic links to depression and it does sometimes run in families. To read more about the genes and research going on about depression and genetics, take a look here: http://townsendlab.berkeley.edu/blogs/depression-genes-family-and-environment