Adolescent suicide becomes a serious health concern. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, 2017), suicide is the second leading cause of death and the majority of suicide attempts are often impulsive as this might be associated with sadness, confusion, anger, and the saddest part, adolescents view suicide as a solution to their problems.
There are several risk factors that contribution to suicide in adolescents. According to AACAP (2017): the major risk factors of teens suicide include: family history of suicide attempts, exposure to violence, aggressive behavior, access to firearms, bullying, feeling of hopelessness, and acute loss or rejection.
According to an article, "Teen Suicide is Preventable," by the American Psychology Association (2017), some possible warning signs of teen suicide might be: talking about dying; recent loss of the loved one; change in personality, behavior, sleep patterns, or eating habits; fear of losing control; low self-esteem; and no hope for future .It is important to parents and family to early recognized warning signs of suicide; so that it could be prevented.
The primary methods in suicidal prevention would be to increase and awareness about adolescent suicide in the community. National suicide prevention such as school education programs, media guidelines, and limit firearm access are some of the examples (APA, 2017). The secondary prevention method such as suicidal screening could be very beneficial for identifying adolescents who are at risk. The tertiary methods could be appropriate referral and treatment to improve mental health and quality of life of the adolescents.
The community resources to prevent suicide in my community, the Burlington County, is the Legacy Treatment Service, which offer screening center, providing face-to-face crisis service within one hour of notification, and the mobile service is available 24 hours a day (State of New Jersey, 2017).
For state resource, the State of New Jersey provides New Jersey Hopeline to provide peer support and specialists in suicidal prevention over the phone; this service also available 24 hours a day (NJ Hopeline, 2013).
The nursing interventions that could use to assist depressed adolescent is to first assess the teen whether he or she thinking about self-harm and whether he or she has a plan, to initiate safety precaution.
After that, I would provide safe environment for the adolescent, ensure privacy, use calming approach and offer present. When the adolescent is ready to talk, I then would assess the risks factors and emotional status to creating the individual care plan. As the care process, I would evaluate the effectiveness of the care plan and adjust it as needed.
NJ Hopeline. New Jersey's 24/7 Peer support & suicide prevention hotline.
State of new Jersey. 2017. Department of Human Services. Primary screening service in each county.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). 2017. Suicide in children and teens.
The American Psychology Association. 2017. Teen suicide is preventable.