Why do kids kill themselves?

reply to post by sicklecell


You can tell by your name that your an angry and bitter individual... so to you and your comments, i say # you.

He was only a kid, just beginning life.. he hadnt even had time to experience what it was really all about.

THis is my first post...interesting that it should also be so personal.

My son began acting Psychotic when he entered puberty at age 12. I wrote off a lot of his behavior as typical, then hired a therapist, then hired a psychiatrist, then had him hospitalized after he threatened suicide, then hired ANOTHER therapist, then he was arrested at school, then he was incarcerated, then he was hospitalized AGAIN, then we relinquished our parental rights to The County, then he was institutionalized for 9 months.

All this over a period of THREE YEARS.

During this time, I read alot about teenage mental health, including suicide, self harm, drug use, etc. I also paid A LOT of BILLS. I was astonished to learn how common my experiece was! I couldn't recall ANYONE having ANY of these problems throughout my Entire Scholastic Experience.

At any rate, we seem to have reached the end of my character alotment, so I'll conclude by saying that having kids today is much more complex. Happily, he's doing great now.

reply to post by Kr0n0s


Unfortunatly brother its been this way for centuries and it will be so for as long as humanity exists. there is just nothing you can do against despair the hurt of living. The only one that can help is yourself.

I think kids suicide for the same reaons adult do. They just feel that reality is overwelming them and there is no way out.

All I can say is you have to be strong to over come the feeling you are not worth to live. That you are alone ... that you are stuck with no way out ... nothing to hold on too ...

I also think that they are very conscient it ends right there. That there is nothing behond. They just want to evade the hurting feeling.

If you ever felt like that and been to the edge of the canyon then you understand what I am saying. You dont have to be self destructive ...

Its unfortunate and sad but its reality. Some time they just cant evade their deamons even when those around try to pull you out ...

You only come out of it when you accept to fight for the rest of your life even when you believe you do not belong here ... that all this is illusion but you will fight to the end to see the finally ...

Some see it differently but deep inside it comesa down to this ...
I speak of experience brother ...

I want to believe I am not alone ....

reply to post by Samsan

At any rate, we seem to have reached the end of my character alotment, so I'll conclude by saying that having kids today is much more complex. Happily, he's doing great now.

So... is there anything that you can share with us that brought about his doing "great" now?

For the record (again if ive already mentioned it) my son and I share a close relationship.. Its actually so close, that its hard for me to stay out of his personal business but I do because i believe trust is essential.

He is even tempered, thinks things through and I could learn a thing or two from him about patience.
The only thing that i worry about, is his new found "first" love.
She seems to be a very great person, shes from Mexico but has lived in the US since she was 5, her Dad is some kind of Bio-Chemist that gets shuttled between El Paso and Corpus and her Mom is a Dr that does some kind of research in blood... All that stirs up my conspiracy (paranoid) nature but thats not for this thread.
Point is, they travel and move around the country a lot and I worry about what could happen when her family moves her away from him.
Loss of any love sucks but the loss of a first love can be devastating.

reply to post by sicklecell


Brother you are wrong suicide takes courage no matter what you say. Unless you are doped and very uncousious at the moment of the act you understand your story ends there ... such an act is I agree an act of despair but also an act of courage to take your own life ... to have taken the descision to go and leave behind does you care about ... because every single one of us because we are human cares about at least one living being ....

Turning your back and ignoring this phenomenan will not heal anything ... It will not make those who think like you stronger ... You would understand if you had someone close who had gone there .... It is a long path to understanding ... the call of death is a mystery ...

[edit on 1-12-2009 by NIGHTRID3R]

Originally posted by Kr0n0s

So... is there anything that you can share with us that brought about his doing "great" now?

He recently was asked that very question in a "transitional meeting." He goes to two schools, one regular 9th grade, the other a school specifically for the emotionally disturbed. In January he'll begin going to regular school full time.

He said he, "Grew Up"

Psychosis among teens is particularly difficult, in fact, almost impossible to diagnose. Unhappily Growing Up doesn't happen more quickly, or cheaply.

Originally posted by Kr0n0sFor the record (again if ive already mentioned it) my son and I share a close relationship.. Its actually so close, that its hard for me to stay out of his personal business but I do because i believe trust is essential.

He is even tempered, thinks things through and I could learn a thing or two from him about patience.
The only thing that i worry about, is his new found "first" love.
She seems to be a very great person, shes from Mexico but has lived in the US since she was 5, her Dad is some kind of Bio-Chemist that gets shuttled between El Paso and Corpus and her Mom is a Dr that does some kind of research in blood... All that stirs up my conspiracy (paranoid) nature but thats not for this thread.
Point is, they travel and move around the country a lot and I worry about what could happen when her family moves her away from him.
Loss of any love sucks but the loss of a first love can be devastating.

I wouldn't concern myself too much. From my experience with teen "devestation," they are remarkably resilliant, and your son sounds remarkably well grounded.

Young people today encounter many of the things we grew up with -- peer harassment, drugs, alcohol, latchkey parents. Then they encounter stress factors many of us could not even dream of: exceptionally violent video games, exceptionally violent movies, exceptionally violent peers, TV that is heavy into propaganda, the utter destruction of the family, etc.

I'm amazed that children turn out as well as they do. It's a testament to their strength and character that so many survive.

I appreciate the concern good sir, but why are you posting here? Put this stuff up on other websites... This was not and is not the intention of this site. My opinion is that every case is unique, and if you want a definitive answer to the subject of your post, you will not achieve it here. The only replies you will get are by people who assume they understand the human psyche and sociology of misunderstood youth. Good luck in your search for truth or your endeavor of bringing this problem to the forefront for the lesser, you consider youth, on this site!

-ATC AN

Originally posted by Kaytagg

I'm truly happy for you, that you can't understand what it's like to be suicidal.

Vouch for this post.

Originally posted by sicklecell
I despise people who commit suicide.

Well good for them. They are gone and won't have to put up with your anger.

To be or not to be... they chose not to be. Is it selfish? Maybe. But if they are truly in pain and want to end it that is their decision. Should they continue to live in suffering for however many years to keep other people happy?

MAYBE, MAYBE if these people who would be affected were paying enough attention and providing their support and really being there THEN they wouldn't take their lives.

-------------------------

Putting aside the suicides over breakups and such. I think people kill themselves because they cant cope with the "differences" in life.

Some are lucky to be born to rich parents, to be good looking and have many friends.

Then there are others who are not born so lucky and cant simply learn to accept it.

Who is to blame? Hmmm society maybe? The media?

They tell you you should look like models, being famous is the cool thing, if you don't have money you are a nobody, etc

Then you look at yourself in the mirror and see you do not fit that image. Some chose to work to attain it, some simply hate themselves and cry themselves to sleep.

[edit on 1-12-2009 by The Legacy]

A multitude of reasons but mainly because they have reached a state of mind where they feel they cannot overcome the terrible pain and suffering they feel within. It is very difficult to explain this to others and very hard to understand if you have not experienced these things yourself. It is a state-of-mind where reason, logic and empathy don't mean much.

Don't be fooled by somebody's wealth or status. Depression knows no bounds. That good-looking, well-dressed, wealthy, social, seemingly open, funny person down the street might be very unhappy, sad and depressed inside. You just don't know these things because most people are not open about their internal problems and issues.

Some people might do it because they do not see a conceivable reason for getting up in the morning. Others because they do no get what life is or what they are meant to be doing. Others because they are being relentlessly bullied by others. Others because they have lost somebody they truly love and cannot bear to live without them. Others because they feel so much guilt about something that happened to someone else.

All we can do is educate people about Mental Health. It is very important to look out for the signs that somebody may be depressed or hurting inside. They can be difficult to notice, but the more people are made aware, the easier they will be to detect.

[edit on 2/12/2009 by Dark Ghost]

Originally posted by sicklecell
So by committing suicide a person not only kills themself but also those who love them die a little and are never the same again.

Weakness and selfishness.
We should not pity those who kill themselves we should pity those left behind.

That's true, the ones left behind have an added suffering, but that's because they were not seen by the person that committed suicide as someone that would care and would miss him/her.

My son told me last night that he found out that he apparently drowned his self in their swimming pool. His parents thought it was an accident until they found a note he left in his room.
Very strange and hard way to commit suicide, I suppose he weighted his self down but there werent any details given.

And to whoever doesnt think that this thread belongs here, I could add a few statistics and bar-graphs detailing world-wide suicide rates... or you could just not bother reading the thread, which ever suits you...

Oh and there is such a graph and i found it interesting that some of the highest rates are in Russia, some of its former satellite countries (well thats not the interesting one) and a few of the Nordic countries, thats the one that surprised me.
The lowest rate was Greece @ about 3 per 100,000 people.

Originally posted by Kr0n0s

Oh and there is such a graph and i found it interesting that some of the highest rates are in Russia, some of its former satellite countries (well thats not the interesting one) and a few of the Nordic countries, thats the one that surprised me.
The lowest rate was Greece @ about 3 per 100,000 people.

This would support a theory that darkness causes depression, which increases suicidal tendecies

On the other hand, Las Vegas, certainly not anywhere near the North Pole has the highest suicide rate in the USA, but most suicides there are not residents. Losing money also causes depression.

So clearly, avoiding depression is key to avoiding suicide. The challenge is to keep kids happy, engaged in activities with other happy kids. Parenting 101, in other words. I'll be the first to admit this is MUCH easier said than done, and consumes a tremendous amount of time and energy (more for some kids than others).

i have not read through all of the replies yet, so sorry if i say something that was already mentioned. i got as far as the 24 yr old from canada. im 23, 600 in my graduating class, with at least 10 suicides. im from texas. i myself was an "outcast", by choice that is. i enjoy sitting back and listening, i have friends, i just keep them limited. i dont think its so much of a "loneliness" issue, its just when you try to be accepted and get laughed at in return. maybe half of the suicides were gay guys who got constantly ridiculed. one girl decided to walk into an oncoming train. one hung himself. a "mentally handicapped" kid accidentally drowned in a pool when his mom went in to get drinks for them. i think its a mindset thing. some people are blessed with strong mind and strong will, and theres always an opposite end of the spectrum. like the kid in the COD video posted, they just cant emotionally handle things very well. you mix one of those kids with a group of people who harass them, and they WILL feel like poo. ive thought about suicide, much like everyone here, whether you want to admit it or not. then i thought why? i think that heaven and hell is a little far fetched (no offense, that is my PERSONAL view, its what works for me), so that probably helped me out a bit, cuz when im gone, thats it. heaven to me i guess, would be living in peoples memory. hell would be like where hitler is at, nobody remembers you for a good reason, just that you were a giant f-up (even though i do give hitler credit for one thing, he proved one man can make a difference...im jewish by the way so please dont talk down on me for saying that hitler stuff). anyways, its a lack of will power. people just cant convince themselves that even though many people may not like you or what you do or represent, someone on this earth WILL think you are the most amazing person ever, so go out and find them. parents, observe your kids, learn what they look like when they are happy, sad, mad, yadda yadda...dont gauge it on what they say, look at how they act. i didnt like being asked questions about my day in school, but my parents knew i was fine by the way i held myself. if i was edgy, and popped off quickly, they knew i was upset about something, even though i wouldnt tell them. they would take me to the movies to get my mind off the issue. and its not always in the parents control, this is true, but parents see their kids every day, doing a little favor for them, acting like a friend, little surprises to brighten their day will go a very long way. cuz if that moment does come where they are deciding whether or not to do it, the family will be the last thing that crosses their minds, i promise you this. the family will probably be the thought that makes you put the gun down, or untie the rope, or hit the brakes. just be there.

reply to post by Kr0n0s


You asked why people commit suicide, i gave my opinion, you may not like it but it is still my opinion, grow up and accept that other peoples point of view might conflict with your own.

I said first off that the reason is hopelessness, lonliness and the feeling of burdening others.
My personal opinion is that it takes a certain amount of selfishness and weakness within a person to off themselves since for example there are people who suffer depression for years without ending it then there are those who are depressed for a few months and end it. Unwilling to stick it out, or even attempt to get help.

I dont understand how people can not be angry at those who end their misery by causing misery to a multitude of other people.
It is truly not my intention of offending anyone here, just giving my opinion on the subject.

Dont assume i have no experience with this subject, i am well aware of the effects of both suicide and depression.

(And my name has nothing to do with my personality, outlook etc. it has a double meaning, not to do with the disease, that would probly make no sense to you anyway)

I agree w/ you siclecell, i feel bad for those who comit suicide and were suffering and no one wanted to help them. That happens a lot. I tried to kill myself a lot of times, but it was to give people a wakeup call that there was aproblem and i wanted help, and i was willing to do whatever it took to open their eyes that i NEEDED help, because i told people i was depressed and something was gonna happen, but no one cared they thought i was talking from my ass, so then i told them what the problems were that were causing me to have problems, did they do anything to fix it? No. So i tried different things to get their heads out of their asses
.. But Nothing worked. I even tried cutting myself, it showed them a little, but it wasnt enough to actually make them FIX or TRY to fix the problem, because they gave a sh_tty peptalk that was more about them, and that your pain didnt mean squat in comparrisson w/ theirs. Did thats BS peptalk help? No, it made things worse. I knew that nothing i said while i was breathing would make them realize and ADMIT that there was a problem that could be fixed if given propper attention...

So then i killed myself. And VIOLA! It worked. It took a F-ing Tragety to get people to fix something, it took bloodshed to get people to realize there was something really wrong, it took the loss of LIFE to get them to ADMIT i needed help, and that i had problems BECAUSE of other people, people like a-holes, people like stubburn SOBs that dont want to listen to kind reason, they only respond to an extreme, and by then, its usually too damned late. So thanks Mom and Dad, thank you school system, thankyou jerkass friends and popculture. Thankyou for all the wonderful f-ed up years of brainwashing, bullying, and perversion that costs so many lives of people who dont deserve it while letting scum that has no reason to live on this Earth thrive and cause more innocents to suffer, yeah this World sure is great, yeah humans sure are the smartess species, yeah God sure does exist, yup bad people always get punished yes indeedy!

BULLCRAP!!! To actually wonder WHy people commit suicide is really odd, w/ all the reasons for anyone to commit suicide it would be a better question to ask: "What Keeps our kids from commiting suicide thesedays?"
With all the drugs, sexual perversion, war, murder, pollution, animal abuse, crime, racism, sexism, corrupt government, starvation in other countries, horrible messages in music (rap), Satanism, overly Zealous Religions, abortions, Sex-changes and all the people who are so F-ing proud of being a danger to society, so whats Stopping kids or anyone, from killing themselves? THATS what i'd like to know. Theres so many reason to commit suicide and so little reason to keep you alive.

If it werent for the screwed-up humans in thw world making life Hell, then i wouldnt have to take so much medicine, i wouldnt have to hide from the site of people, because i'm either bullied by women because of my looks, or im harrassed by men for it. I wouldnt have to worry about people making fun of me because of the scarrs i have on my body. And i wouldnt have to worry about being stripped beaten and raped by a-holes because of the way i look, just the way i look seems to trigger an odd reaction in people, is it my modest fashionsense that i keep my body covered and i wear no make up? Or is it because i look different from the manufactured, perfectly molded plastic overdone whores we see today. Am i not belemic enough for you, am i not blonde enough for you, am i not white or black enough for you? Do i not wear enough makeup to look the way you WANT me too? Am i not Rich or poor enough for you? Is my body not exposed enough for you respects??

easy answer but no one wants to look at it: sexual molestation Girls daddy or uncle or trusted adult male

Boys 98% of the time it's a homosexual molestation by one of the spearheads of the aggressive gay "marketing plan" that didn't quite take!

The gays only have a very narrow two year window for success here... from 15 to 17 to "turn" the kid. If it doesn't take he's dead. It's just the cost of doing business with young boys for them.

If they don't get to the kid before the girls start giving it up their chances reduce to zero

For both girls and boys it's a ruthless, aggressive "they'll pay any price"

Originally posted by Boston Grump
easy answer but no one wants to look at it: sexual molestation Girls daddy or uncle or trusted adult male

Boys 98% of the time it's a homosexual molestation by one of the spearheads of the aggressive gay "marketing plan" that didn't quite take!

I'm no great fan of Gheyity, but I don't believe "no one wants to look at [sexual molestation]" as a cause of suicide. This isn't 1950. There aren't many stones left unturned. And to presume that 98% of Male suicides between the ages 15-17 are the result of some Homosexual initiation rite gone awry is simply ignorant....and to a great extent dangerous as it omits real, serious mental illness and other contributing factors that truely should be examined to prevent these tragedies.

i'm sorry to hear that-- but it's very rarely to hear kids suicide in my country. i think the environment in which both kids grow up are quite different. kids in my country are not so independent, when they face with some problems that they can't deal with, they usually share them with other people such as their parents,relatives or friends but not to kill themselves

Its mainly because there hidden from the truth, there protected behind so many lies and given false promises that when they grow up they'll be Doctors or Pilots, someone they look up to. When they finally leave school they are faced with barriers after barriers.
The phrase "you can be anything you want to" is the biggest lie you can ever tell a child. To tell them they'll be nothing may be hurtful, but in the long-run the most truthful.
They wont be rockstars but simple tax-paying people like everyone else around them.

There influenced too much by peer pressure at a young age to be someone there not, that anytime they become individuals there instantly flamed and bullied upon. One conversation I had with a teacher made me shake my head in despair, he said he has no concern for the welfare of the children. His job is to get them past the GCSE's and to pass OFSTED reports, he's not in teaching to become a counsellor.

If thats the type of attitude teachers have towards children in these modern days then no wonder they have noone to turn to, when mum+day are working 40+ hours to make ends meet, their "friends" bully them for being individuals, and anyone else in authority simply doesnt give a rats ass.