Essay - Ethics and Morality the Problem of Teenage Suicide the Purpose...

Ethics and Morality

***** Problem of Teenage Suicide

The purpose ***** this paper is to introduce, discuss, ***** analyze the problem of teen suicide. Specifically, it will research ***** problem, and then subm***** a det*****iled proposal that *****fers a better plan for lessening or remedying the *****. Teenaged suicide is rapidly becoming one of the biggest problems facing teens today. Growing national interest in teen suicide began ***** the 1980s when teen *****s began making the news in far greater numbers. Teen suicide must be acknowledged, and *****n ***** plans ***** be created to not only deal with the aftermath of ***** suicide in the family and ***** the schools, but in recogniz*****g the inevitable signs leading to suicide in teens, *****o.

Suicide by teenagers ***** a social problem ***** the nation. Families all over the country are coping with depressed and angry children, ***** turning to the schools and social service agencies ***** help ***** understanding. One writer c*****ed teen suicide, "an emotional cancer at the heart of our 'successful society,' but it has remained, for the most part, a hidden silent crisis" (Portner, 2001, pg. vii-viii). Much ***** has shown the problem affects boys more than girls and those ***** ethnic backgrounds even more so. However, girls tend to "**********" suicide more often ***** ***** do. The problem exists for a num*****r of reasons. Most teens who comm***** suicide have some *****m of mental problem or diagnosis, ***** many are depressed or hopeless (Davis, 1999, pg. 119). Thus, it seems all ***** ***** at risk at one time or another, and so, society must work harder to discover the signs of suicide in teens, and help ***** with their problems before they reach suicide levels.

***** it ***** teen suicide has only been prevalent in the news in the last two decades or so, that is not the case. ***** ***** has been a societal problem for generations. As these experts note, "Suicide and other forms of tragic death in children are not a new concern. An intern*****tional psychiatric conference in the 1800s in Europe paid considerable attention to child suicide" (Deaton & Berkan, 1995, p. 3). In addition, some material written as early as ***** 1770s was deemed res*****onsible for numbers of youthful suicides ***** Europe. While teenage suicide ***** always been present in society, it has increased in the ***** half of the 20th century, and some studies show it was the leading cause of death in children during ***** 1990s. Cl*****, the ***** is not new, but it seems to ***** been growing in ***** in the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st.

The current status of the problem ***** to show that some suicide rates have lowered, specifically for white *****. "However, although reports ***** suicide attempts among White high school students decreased by 15% between 1991 and 1999, there was a 14% increase in attempts ***** African American a*****lescents within ***** same time period" (O'Donnell, *****, Wardlaw & Stueve,