Alcohol and substance abuse Assignment

Alcohol and substance abuse Assignment
Another cause of suicide among teenagers is depression, an illness involving the body, mood, and thoughts. The teen years are stressful because of the many changes teenagers undergo. These changes include changes in feelings, thoughts, and body. There is a lot of pressure to succeed and strong feelings of fear, confusion, and stress, which affect teenagers’ decision-making and problem-solving skills(Yeojin, et al 2017). For some, the normal developmental changes can be tough when they are also going through family changes like divorce or moving to new towns, changes in friendships, losses, or school problems. All these changes can result in depression, and it is up to parents to realize what their children are going through before it reaches the level of committing suicide. The causes of depression might not seem very serious, but parents should never dismiss them. When teenagers break up with their loved ones, it becomes tough for them, and they get sad not knowing what to do and might ultimately resort to suicide. Even a bad environment around teenagers, either at home or school, can lead to depression. Teenagers need a supportive environment and not one that drives their energy off. Moreover, depression can also result from genetic disorders. These can occur in families with mental disorders; thus, parents must decipher if their families had any cases of mental illness and make diagnoses of their children to assess their mental health. It might be challenging to know if a child is depressed, but certain signs make it easier to know. Some signs of depression that parents should look out for include changes in eating and sleeping habits, withdrawal from friends and families, acting out, alcohol and substance abuse, and loss of interest in school work. Parents should immediately seek medical attention when teenagers showcase these signs to save the situation.
An abusive childhood increases the likelihood of teenagers committing suicide. Statistics show that children who had an abusive childhood are more likely to commit suicide than those who had a normal childhood. Traumatic events like physical abuse and sexual assault make teenagers vulnerable to suicide. Teenagers who have experienced trauma are fifteen times more likely to commit suicide than teenagers who have not experienced any trauma. Also, part of having a bad childhood is being neglected. Most teenagers have lived to get used to neglecting as their parents are always busy attending to work. Others are only left with guardians to take care of them; this makes them feel lonely, increasing their vulnerability to suicide. As parents, it is your role to create a safe environment for children; This should start from birth, like any traumatic event since childhood can eventually lead to a teenager being suicidal. Parents are not the only ones who create an unsafe environment for children. The people they grow up with, especially adults like uncles, aunties, and teachers, greatly influence children’s environment. Thus, parents must know the kind of people their children associate with. It would be easier to create a safe environment for teenagers through this.
Alcohol and substance abuse is another leading cause of suicide among teenagers. In recent years, many young people are getting involved in alcohol and substance abuse without knowing the impacts of their consumption. Alcohol and substance abuse is very lethal as it leads to dependence, and when the addiction persists (Kok, et al 2011), some teenagers end up taking their lives in the blink of an eye. Dependence on drugs results from financial and economic issues relating to genetics or family. When a teenager is dependent on alcohol and other drugs like heroin and has mental disorders like depression and anxiety disorder, the risk of committing suicide escalates. Parents can detect alcohol and substance abuse from signs like personality changes, mood swings, fatigue, sleep problems, withdrawal from friends and family, frequent absence, and discipline issues. When these signs are available, parents can educate their children about the dangers of getting involved with drugs. But when the behavior persists to the extent of jeopardizing their health and making them more vulnerable to suicide, they should be taken to rehabilitation centers.
In conclusion, even though parents have shown efforts to combat suicide among teenagers, it has been futile because they do not understand the risk factors. Understanding the risk factors will help them know the issues to address to reduce the rates of suicide among teenagers. These risk factors involve bullying, depression, abusive childhood, and substance abuse. When parents look for signs of these risk factors and take adequate measures to address them, the rates of suicide will drastically reduce. Moreover, when they collaborate with their teachers and other family members, suicide among teenagers will be addressed amicably.