Saving a Generation by Eleanor

Saving a Generation by Eleanor - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

Growing up is probably the hardest milestone you have to pass in life. Teens in the 21st century might have it the hardest of any generation. Teens are faced with the acceptance of gender identity and sexual orientation. On top of all that teens have to grow from kids to adults. The pressure of all that leads to many teens falling into a downward spiral of depression because they are bullied for who they are or are unable to associate with anyone they believe is like them. This kind of depression leads to thoughts of suicide, then attempts of suicide, and finally deaths of suicide. As of 2016, the second leading cause of death in teens, in America, is suicide. When the time comes most teens have tried to reach out at least once because they hope that in the reality of the real world they matter, but when nothing outlines their life as something important they lose all hope.
The 21st century has unveiled the staggering numbers of teens that are unable to openly state that they identify as another gender, or how they sexually orientate themselves. In order to make them feel included, the world has rewritten pronouns and created safe ways for them to go to the bathroom at school. However, even with all the lengths people have gone to there are still stigmas against them. On average, more than 30% of the youth in the LGBTQ community have attempted 1 suicide (Youth Suicide Prevention Program). In order for this to change, adults need to show teens that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being who they want to be no matter how they were born or how they sexually orient themselves.
Bullying happens because people are unable to accept those that are different from the norm. Bullies force everyone around them to fit into their vision of the perfect society. When someone refuses to conform, they are subjected to inhumane acts of aggression―physical and mental. Not fitting in is a common feeling among many teens throughout the world. Fitting in is hard when the majority of the teen population can’t properly express themselves for fear of persecution from their peers. 2 to 9 victims of bullying are more likely to attempt suicide than those that have never been victimized (Yale University). The growth of bullied victims attribute to the percent of high school students that consider suicide.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention created a list of mood changes that signal suicidal depression. Some included on the list are: sleeping too much or too little, aggression, irritability, and anxiety. Looking at that list is like looking into a mirror of every teenager in the world. Teens tend to have irregular sleep schedules based on how much they eat and how late they stay up. Aggression and irritability are average moods that teens have on a daily basis; females are less aggressive due to lower testosterone but more irritable due to more estrogen. Overall, teens are always anxious. They are worried about their performance in sports, school, and their social circles. Then towards the end of their teen years when they have to become functioning young adults their anxiety skyrockets. Dr. Nadja N. Riley of the Harvard Mental Health Letter noticed the similarities and found a way to distinguish the characteristics of depression and the characteristics of an average teenager. She states that the severity, duration, and domain of the outburst will attribute to the type of mood―depressed or average―the teen is experiencing. Teaching this type of suicidal depression detection will allow teens and adults to better identify those at risk of suicide.
Teens die every day from suicide. Measures to lower the risk of suicide have been taken. Yet, the rate of suicide hasn’t gone down; it has actually risen. What needs to happen is: the world needs to take measures to create an overall acceptance so teens feel safe to grow and live free from the oppressive tendencies of bullies. Teens should know the signs of suicidal depression so they can identify it in their friends and themselves. They should also know that it is perfectly fine being who they want to be even if it breaks the social confines the world has built for itself. These are the measures that need to be taken to save the lives of a generation of teens that think their only way out is suicide.