6 teen suicides in 6 months
Just recently, Hayden Porter, a 15-year-old freshman at a high school in Ohio, decided it was his time to leave this earth. He was the sixth current or former teenage student from the school district to kill themselves within the past six months. Three of the suicides occurred in a span of 11 days in January. When they got the police to investigate they had said they weren’t linked to each other. Chief Michael Pomesky said “over the past five days, his officers have responded to more than two dozen calls concerning potential suicides or requests for police to check on someone.” He said “the community of Perry Township, about an hour’s drive south of Cleveland, is in crisis.”
Porters mother suspected the suicide because of bullying. Her son, worried about what four boys might do to him, had to be picked up from school one day, she told the Cleveland station.
The teens who took their life were between the age of 14 to 18 years old.Almost one in five teenagers between 15 and 19 has considered suicide, and nearly 10% have attempted it, Among Americans between 10 and 24, suicide was the second-leading cause of death in 2015 and still is to this day. Some proven strategies for preventing suicide among youth include “strengthening access to and delivery of suicide care, creating protective environments, promoting youth connectedness, teaching coping and problem-solving skills, and identifying and supporting at risk youth.
I’ve been in the same spot in a time in my life where I felt everything was over and it was the only choice I thought I had. Being depressed and in that state of mind is so hard to get out of because one feels so hopeless, nothing can stop you because one is so focused on dying. Many young kids have died in my previous school from suicide and it is just heartbreaking especially for the families who lost their loved one. Suicide isn’t something someone just goes out and tells everyone that’s why it is so hard to see if someone is okay and needs help. I want to be able to help young kids to overcome this time in their life, it’s hard, but it’s never impossible.
These tragedies can be avoided. Help is always there if you need it but too often people dont know where to turn. If you or someone you know is in a time of crisis reach out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrisisLink
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/16/health/ohio-suicide-cluster/index.html
MHFooL • Feb 12, 2018 at 8:35 am
I have been a victim at one point; I thought that suicide was my only option in order to escape my problems. The year 2017 was the worst year of my life because I’ve lost my closest friends. Most of them transferred to a different school and stopped talking to me and some friends are avoiding me. I felt like an outcast in my school and felt like I didn’t belong there. Throughout the year I isolated myself until around early December that I’ve had enough and finally seek help. I was gone for about a month because I was in a partial hospitalization and during that time my mood and self-esteem gradually improved. I also started taking medications to further improve my mood and finally go back to school and catch up. I think that people should learn more about mental health and that suicide is a huge problem in this world. I think if people further understood about depression, the world could be a lot better.
QueennnM • Feb 1, 2018 at 9:01 am
Bullying is never funny nor taken as a joke. It’s really disturbing and depressing that people don’t know what to do and to be afraid to be called a “snitch” if contacted anyone about there heartbreaking incident. I feel so sorrow for each family that has no idea of what goes on in teenagers life and than to hear they have passed away too soon.
I agree that we need to “help young kids to overcome this time in their life, it’s hard, but it’s never impossible.” We need to be spoken. Every voice counts and it does help more than we think.
anon • Feb 1, 2018 at 8:47 am
The growth we have seen in suicide within the last few years is truly horrifying. Years ago, suicide would have been something that shocked me but the sad truth is, it no longer does. About four years ago, a teen I knew decided to end her life and while I was not too close with her, it hit me and it hit me hard. Suicide is something that people see as an escape from hurting, from their surroundings, and from so much more. I feel absolutely disgusted with the people that think it’s okay to belittle someone just to make themselves feel better not knowing the damage they are causing. The immense growth of suicide can be reduced if we, humans, worked together in spreading love, kindness, and simply being more aware of those around us.
chomskyhonk • Jan 31, 2018 at 9:18 am
Suicide is a tragic event that affects many people everyday and I believe that a way to prevent some of these awful deaths is to have elementary schools teach students the weight that bullying can have on others instead of just telling them to treat others how they want to be treated because that doesn’t seem to resonate with many students as there are still many bullies leading young kids to suicide.
Donkey Kong • Jan 24, 2018 at 10:20 am
Hearing about a suicide is always just sad.. I’ve had friends who were victims to suicide and its very hard to cope with. I cant imagine how hard it is for the families and friends. There’s so many things in the present time that can lead into suicide. Depression, Drugs, and etc.. just so many things that can lead to it.. Life is too precious to give up and that fact that people feel the way they do, clearly something needs to change. If you see someone who’s acting differently and not “normal” then you should step up and ask or even just be there for them because you only get one shot at life and you should life it to the fullest and just appreciate it.