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Potential Causes and Risk Factors

• Traditional Role Expectations of Men.
Young men are taught to minimize or
not share emotions as readily or fully
as women, starting at a young age.
Men can internalize and interpret
this socialization as appearing ‘tough’

• “Deaths of Despair”. Drug, alcohol
and suicide deaths have risen in
nearly every age group over the last
decade, but the increase has been
especially pronounced for young-
er Americans. Between 2007 and
2017, drug-related deaths increased
by 108% among adults ages 18 to
34, while alcohol-related deaths
increased by 69% and suicides in-
creased by 35%, according to the
report, which drew on Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention data
(Time Magazine June 13, 2019)

• Men tend to be under diagnosed
for depression more than women.
Subsequently, men tend to less likely
seek mental health care, treatment,
or therapy than women. In addition,
men tend to encounter physical pain Myths About Teen Suicide The common goal of suicide is cessation of con-
and illness, loneliness, social isola- sciousness: The anguished mind of a suicidal per-
tion, and hopelessness Talking about suicide will cause someone to son interprets the end of consciousness as the only

• Bullying. A higher percentage of commit suicide. way to end the suffering.
male than female students report In reality, most teens want to talk about what is 3.The common stimulus of suicide is psychologi-
being physically bullied (6% vs. 4%) troubling them and can be grateful that someone cal pain: Shneidman calls it “psychache,” by which
and threatened with harm (5% vs. has finally decided to talk to them about it he means “intolerable emotion, unbearable pain,
3%; (National Center for Educational unacceptable anguish.”
Statistics, 2016). Students who bully Teens who threaten suicide are just looking for The common stressor in suicide is frustrated psy-
others, are bullied, or witness bul- attention chological needs: A suicidal person feels pushed
lying are more likely to report high In reality, teens are looking for ways to express toward self-destruction by psychological needs
levels of suicide-related behavior their hurts, pains, rejections, but are also adept at that are not being met (for example, the need for
than students who report no involve- hiding their innermost feelings from adults achievement, for nurturance or for understanding).
ment in bullying (Center for Disease
Control, 2014) 5.The common emotion in suicide is hopeless-
• Childhood sexual abuse. According to Prevention Strategies for Professionals ness-helplessness: A suicidal person feels despon-
dent, utterly unsalvageable.
Dube, S.R. et al. (2005), a 2005 study In his book The Suicidal Mind 1996, Edwin Shneid-
conducted by the U.S. Centers for man (a co-founder of the American Association of \6.The common cognitive state of suicide is ambiv-
Disease Control, on San Diego Kaiser Suicidology, www.suicidology.org) outlines what he alence: Suicidal people, Shneidman says, “wish to
Permanente HMO members, report- calls “the 10 psychological commonalities of sui- die and they simultaneously wish to be rescued.”
ed that 16% of males were sexually cide”: 7.The common perceptual state in suicide is con-
abused by the age of 18. Also, a striction: The mind of a suicidal person is constrict-
history of suicide attempt was more 1.The common purpose of suicide is to seek a ed in its ability to perceive options, and, in fact,
than twice as likely among both men solution: A suicidal person is seeking a solution to mistakenly sees only two choices—either continue
and women who experienced child- a problem that is “generating intense suffering” suffering or die.
hood sexual abuse within him or her.
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