University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Alabang-Zapote Rd.

, Pamplona, Las Pias City

Suicide among College Students

Presented to Mrs. Flordeliza Soriano

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Communication Arts II

Submitted by: Aiza L. Alimagno Katherine Gay E. Gueria Hiba Farah Sheila Mae D. Ortula

Presented this March 2012

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to extend our gratitude to the following for the help, support and contribution they have given us for the successful realization of this research.

First and foremost to GOD who gave us the knowledge, skills and the ability to do whatever we have accomplished for this research.

To our beloved professor Mrs. Flordeliza Soriano, thank you for helping and guiding us on making our research paper properly and also for evaluating and correcting our paper works for perfection.

We also extend our thanks to the authors, editors and researchers to whom we base and took our information for this research paper.

Lastly to our families for their support and understanding while doing this research paper.

The Researchers

INTRODUCTION You may have read or heard about suicide. Individuals who are at risk of suicide are frequent emergency but they can also be prevented and helped. The first thing that comes to our mind when we heard or read the word suicide is killing oneself which is true. We definitely conclude that those individuals who commit suicide had a heavy burden. This particular topic is ignored by most people but a big issue we must solved. Different situations in our life trigger our emotions and every year, people end their lives because of their belief that they will be relieved from the agonizing emotional pains they are experiencing. People of all ages, races, and socioeconomic status are all at risk for suicide, no one is excluded. Current evidence is reviewed that points to significant mental health problems on college campuses and suggests the need for outreach programs to identify students at risk for suicide and encourage them into treatment. One such program under development by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is described in detail. Problems related to its implementation are identified and discussed, notably the reluctance of many university officials to know the actual identities of suicidal students. American College Health Associations 2006 National College Health Assessment found that 94 percent of the college students surveyed was reported that they felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do. Forty-four percent confessed that they had felt so depressed it was difficult to function. And 18 percent had a depressive disorder.

SUICIDE is defined as the deliberate killing of oneself. Tragically, suicide is a problem that affects people of all ages, but most dramatically, adolescents and young adults. In fact, suicide is the most rapidly growing cause of death among youth between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. In the mid-1990s, the National Center for Health Statistics ranked suicide as the third-leading cause of adolescent death. In addition, the number of recorded deaths by suicide is apparently an underestimate of reality since a large number of completed suicides go unreported or are labeled as accidents. Every year, almost one million people die from suicide; a "global" mortality rate of 16 per 100,000, or one death every 40 seconds. In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years in some countries, and the second leading cause of death in the 10-24 years age group; these figures do not include suicide attempts which are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicide. According to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, suicide worldwide is estimated to represent 1.8% of the total global burden of disease in 1998 and 2.4% in countries with market and former socialist economies in 2020. Although traditionally suicide

rates have been highest among the male elderly, rates among young people have been increasing to such an extent that they are now the group at highest risk in a third of countries, in both developed and developing countries. Mental disorders (particularly depression and alcohol use disorders) are a major risk factor for suicide in Europe and North America; however, in Asian countries impulsiveness plays an important role.

Suicide is complex with psychological, social, biological, cultural and environmental factors involved. Despite the apparent low base rate, suicide remains to be a major public health concern, representing one of the 10 primary causes of death in the United States (Holden & DeLisle, 2005; Anderson, Kochanek, & Murphy, 1997). In fact, suicide is the 8th leading cause of death for males, outnumbering female suicide deaths 4 to 1. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults, ages 15-24 years old (Goldston, Molock, Whitbeck, Murakami, Zayas & Hall, 2008).In fact, among 15- to 24-year olds, suicide accounts for a greater number of deaths that the next seven leading causes of death combined (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). Clearly, suicide is major public health issue in United States. According to www.save.org (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), suicide takes the lives of over 30,000 individuals every year that makes suicide the second-leading cause of death among college-aged students. John M. Grohol, PSYD agreed and stated that suicide is a serious concern amongst young adults, and the isolation and loneliness of some college students experience appear to be some of the factors that may trigger their suicidal behavior. In a survey conducted at the University of Maryland, with 1,085 college students, 12% said they completed suicide. Eight out of ten students reported having had depressed mother. Other risk factors the researchers identified included: exposure to

domestic violence; feelings of being unloved; depression and prolonged separation from family and friends, triggering anxiety.

Former Armed Forces Philippines (AFP) Chief, Defense and Energy Secretary Angelo Tomas Reyes took his life because of being link as allegedly one of the corrupt AFP Chief of Staff in the current Senate investigation on the Garcia plea bargaining agreement. This incident took the attention of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iicias said that suicide is one of the biggest crimes and sins against life. The CBCP urges stronger family ties, since it is in the home that people spend their formative and teenage years, much of establishing strong family bonds and grounding them on faith practices-two of the things that contribute to young peoples happiness and wellbeing depend on the family. But what are these burden or reasons that triggers someone to commit or idealize suicide especially there in adolescence mostly college students? How about you? Are you one of them? The researchers as college students made a study about suicide as the second leading cause of death of college students. Curiosity hit the researchers mind after knowing that suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst college-aged students.This curiosity provoke the researchers desire to know more about the topic. As college students, the researchers wanted to study why individuals at their same age do such thing. The researchers hope

that this research would be a tool to help everybody avoid and understand the whole thing about suicide. Nowadays, there are numbers of teenagers who committed suicide because of peer pressure and family problems. The researchers observed that people at their age can easy be depressed and do not know how to cope up with their situation. Why students kill themselves? This is an extremely difficult question to answer. The growth of suicide among students can be for various reasons. Suicidal behavior as a general construct usually includes suicidal thoughts/ideations, threats of suicide, nonfatal suicide attempts and completed suicide attempts. Despite substantial attention to the problem of suicide among college students over the past several decades, reports on the extent of the problem have been largely inconclusive. This article reviews the findings of major studies of college suicide, noting how variations in campus and student characteristics, as well as inconsistencies in the way student suicides are defined and measured, have limited comparison of conclusions. The researchers believe that this study is both important and useful in providing knowledge to every individual about suicide. This research could be a basic knowledge to everyone, especially to individuals who has/had some ideation of killing oneself. The information provided would be useful for other researchers who wanted to have some additional information about suicide. This research pointed out the reasons and factors why certain individuals commit suicide.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescent, but this is primarily because very few young people die from other causes such as diseases. The rate of suicide rises rapidly during the middle adolescent years and it continues to rise throughout. There was a report that youth suicides rates are low in many predominantly Muslim and Catholic countries. According to Hugh F. Johnston, MD (2009), adolescents are one of the individuals at risk for suicide behavior because they have the immediate factors to commit suicide and those are; loss of self-esteem (eg, resulting from family arguments, a humiliating disciplinary episode, pregnancy, or school failure), loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend and loss of familiar surroundings (eg, school, neighborhood, friends) due to a geographic move. Other contributing factors may include a lack of structure and boundaries, leading to an overwhelming feeling of lack of direction, and intense parental pressure to succeed accompanied by the feeling of falling short of expectations.

In the Philippines, according to ABS-CBN News, a 17-year old student of De La Salle University committed suicide due to death threats made by his own fraternity mates. Richard Raymundo found dead at his home. He tied his neck with a plastic rope before shooting himself with a .45 caliber gun owned by his father. Based on the initial investigation of the Philippine National Police, Raymundo received several threatening text messages from his fraternity mates. One message warned him he will

be killed if he does not own up to an alleged rape of a female frat member. His family does not believe that Richard can commit such a heinous crime.

Instead, he blamed the fraternity, and said nothing good could come out of joining school fraternities. This incident shows that the said victim is very risky to commit suicide because of the availability of gun, being depress in his surrounding and lack of guidance.

Homosexuality has been suggested as a risk factor for youth suicide according to the research gathered by Garofalo, Wissow, Woods, and Goodman, (1999). They indicate that as a result of social stigma, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and not sure (GLBN) youth encounter many of the environmental stresses related to suicide. As the rates of suicide among those age 15-24 has more than tripled over the last fifty years, one has to wonder how large a factor the shame associated with the causes of homosexuality is in adolescent and teen suicide (Garofalo, Wolf, Wissow, Woods & Goodman, 1999). Until recently, Ellis and Ames state in their research, science had virtually no explanation for non-heterosexual orientations. Heterosexuality was ordained as natural and good, and all else were seen as an evil influences and wicked choices (Ellis & Ames, 1987). As a youth is faced with these negative views, often from emotionally important figures, perhaps it becomes easier to see a definite connection between developing sexuality, theories about sexual orientation and suicide.

Psychoanalytic theorists at the turn of the century suggested the idea that homosexuality is an immature stage of psychosexual development resulting from many factors, such as an unhappy and broken home, poor parental and same-sex role

models, as well as by overbearing mothers and/or affectionless and weak inadequate fathers (Ellis & Ames, 1987).

This obviously suggests shameful faults within the family unit which can lead to internal conflict between those involved. It has been reported that suicides can happen after conflicts regarding sexual orientation, either distress from keeping one's orientation hidden or rejection after "coming out" (Garofaloet al., 1999). Placing the blame on the family of a homosexual is not the only negative theory that has been suggested over time. Most suicides are associated with behavioral disorders. Almost all people who commit or attempt suicide have a diagnosed mental disorder. Roy (1985) classified selfdestructive behaviors as direct and indirect. Direct patterns of self-destructive refer to those behaviors that directly affect the clients physical and mental well-being such as suicide, anorexia, alcohol and substance abuse, and self-mutilation. Indirect patterns of self-destruction include high-risk behaviors that may cause harm such promiscuity, unsafe sexual practices, prostitution, abusive relationships, dangerous sports, and compulsive gambling.Self-destruction behaviors occur on a continuum, the most severe is suicide. These behaviors may appear as bizarre, distressful, and unexplainable. Winchel and Stanley (1992) defined self-mutilation behavior as those that cause deliberate harm to ones body without the conscious intent of suicide. High-risk groups for self-mutilating are individuals with mental retardation, those with persuasive development disorders such as autism, those with psychosis, those who have a history of childhood abuse, or those with borderline personality disorders.

Suicidal behaviors according by Robert M. A. Mirschfeld (2008) are usually resulting from the interaction of several factors. The primary remediable risk factor in suicide is depression. Suicide and suicide attempts appear to be more common among patients with anxiety disorders, and severe anxiety is associated with major depression or bipolar disorders, other factors that are included are: 1. Social factors 2. Personality abnormalities 3. Traumatic childhood experiences 4. Serious physical disorders 5. Alcohol and drug abuse 6. Serious psychiatric disorders

Mary Ann Boyd (2005) stated on her book that there are psychiatric disorders commonly associated with suicidal behaviors, those are: 1.) Recurrent major depression 2.) Substance abuse 3.) Schizophrenia 4.) Panic disorders When we talk about the physical manifestation usually there are no findings of depression though some manifestation may be seen quite often. Some of the signs of depression may include slow speech or long pauses, slow body movements, pacing, hand wringing and pulling on hair, lack of eye contact and memory loss. 5.) Dissociative disorders 6.) Antisocial personality disorders 7.) Borderline personality disorders

The causes of depression are multifactorial, beside depression there are other etiologies such as alcohol/substance abuse, impulsiveness, and certain familial factors are highly associated with risk of suicide. Other factor includes prior suicide attempts; presence of firearm in the home, incarceration, and exposure to suicidal behaviors of family members, peers, celebrities even highly publicized fictional characters. Suicide is analyzed in terms of motivations to escape from aversive selfawareness. The causal chain begins with events that fall severely short of standards and expectations. These failures are attributed internally, which makes self-awareness painful. Suicidal behaviors can also be a life threatening behaviors several reasons can be the cause of that , first is self injury and intoxication that includes the non-suicidal overdose of drugs , frequent alcohol and repetitive acts that results in trauma the second is rash , regretted its unaware acts unskilled use of danger using tools , instruments where there is real danger . Those people may show very poor judgment which leads them to death-related setting. It is also establish that the initiation of treatment for depression with psychotherapeutic agents can temporarily increase the incidence of depression in healthcare workers is comparable to that in general population thought the rate of completion of suicide is higher .

Emile Durkheim stated that the most influencing factor for an individual to commit suicide is the society. Many people believed that there are personal factors influencing suicidal behavior but in the general, it is true. In his book Suicide, Emile Durkheim (1897/1951) distinguished four kinds of suicide namely: a.) egoistic suicide, b.) altruistic suicide, c.) anomic suicide and d.) fatalistic suicide e.) parasuicide Durkheim (1897) added that, egoistic suicide occurs when people become relatively detached from society and when they feel that their existence is meaningless. The predominant emotions associated with egoistic suicide are depression and apathy.It reflects a prolonged sense of non-belonging, of not being integrated in a community, an experience, of not having security, an absence that can give rise to meaningless, apathy, melancholy, and depression. It is the result of a weakening of

the bonds that normally integrate individuals into the collectivity: in other words a breakdown or decrease of social integration. Durkheim refers to this type of suicide as the result of excessive individuation, meaning that the individual becomes increasingly detached from other members his community. Those individuals who were not sufficiently bound to social groups were left with little social support or guidance, and therefore tended to commit suicide on an increased basis. An example Durkheim discovered was that of unmarried people, particularly male, who with less to bind and connect them to stable social norms and goals, committed suicide at higher rates than married people.

On the other hand Altruistic suicide is characterized by a sense of being overwhelmed by a groups goals and beliefs. It occurs in society with high integration, where individual needs are seen less important than the societys need as a whole. They thus occur on the opposite integration scale than egoistic suicide. As individual interest would not be considered important, Durkheim stated that in an altruistic society there would be little reason for people to commit suicide. He stated one exception, namely when an individual is expected to kill themselves on behalf of the society- a primary example being the soldier in military service. He also has findings regarding anomic suicide. Anomic suicide occurs following a sudden breakdown in social order or a disruption of the norms that govern peoples behaviour. Anomic suicide explains increased suicide rates that occur following an economic or political crisis or among people who are adjusting to the unexpected loss of a social or occupational role. The typical feelings associated with anomie (a term coined by Durkheim, which literally means without disappointment), and exasperation. It is also known as excessive regulation). Fatalistic suicide also known as excessive regulation occurs when the circumstances under which a person lives become unbearable (Abnormal Psychology 5th Edition Thomas F. Oltmanns, Robert E. Emery). It is the opposite of anomic suicide, when a person excessively regulated, when their futures are pitilessly blocked and passions violently choked by oppressive discipline. It occurs in overly oppressive societies causing people to prefer to die than to carry on living within their society.

This is an extremely rare reason to take their own lives, but a good example would be within a prison; people prefer to die than live in a prison with constant abuse and excessive regulation that prohibits them from pursuing their desires. www.easynet.co.uk also calls Para suicide as Deliberate Self-Harm, this kind of suicide happens when someone mimics the act of suicide, but does not end up killing themselves. Para suicide is not the same as the people who injure themselves, but who not to a degree that is life-threatening. These people, who can also be classed under the heading of deliberate self-harm, usually express other reasons for their actions. For example, some people deliberately cut themselves as they feel this brings them some relief from strong feelings of anxiety or tension that they are feeling at the time. Parasuicide refers to suicide attempts or gestures and self-harm where there is no result in death. It is a non-fatal act in which a person deliberately causes injury to himself or ingests any prescribed or generally recognised therapeutic dose in excess. The term was first coined in Edinburgh by Norman Krietman. It is considered to be a serious public health issue. Para suicide is the strongest known indicator for a future successful suicide attempt. Other researchers also include those who attempt suicide with the intent to kill themselves in the definition of para suicide. Studies have found that about half of those who commit suicide have a history of para suicide. Para suicide is most common in adolescents and young adults.One study found

that perfectionism could be a factor in Para suicide. A high level of perfectionism was found in patients that had been hospitalised for para suicide and the study suggests that perfectionism is more likely to lead to feelings of failure, therefore making a suicide attempt or para suicide more likely.

Risk Factors Associated with Suicidal Behaviour Osgood, N., (1992) in his book, The Client Who is Suicidal, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing 2nd Edition noted that there are factors which different persons can be risked of. Here are some of them: RISK FACTOR Sex Age SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR *Increased risk in men *Risk increases with age (but adolescents make more attempts) Marital Status Family History Precipitatory *Risk lower among married men andwomen *Higher risk among family members withsuicide victim *Increases with: - solitariness (living alone) - unemployment - social disgrace - recent loss Other Factor *High risk with alcohol and drug abuse *Increased risk in those with mood orthought disorder

Risk Factor for Children and Adolescents who attempt Suicide On the other hand, Lawrence Steinbergalso noted risk factors for children and adults. This includes the following: 1. Availability of lethal means. 2. Personal history of suicide attempt. 3. Life stressors (school, family discord, loss of relationship). 4. Current depression, substance abuse, conduct disorder, borderline personality traits. 5. Psychological characteristics (hopelessness, negative cognitions, impulsivity). 6. Family history of psychopathology and/or suicidal behavior. 7. History of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse. A Pathway to Suicidal Bahavior Predisposing Factors Precipitating Factors Oppurtunity Attepmt According to AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) these are risk factors: *Previous suicide attempt / current suicide thought *Access to firearms *Situational stress *Past psychiatric hospitalization

Factors Increasing the Risk of Suicide Judith MSchultz and Sheila LVidebeck two important factors why a person commit suicide. These are the stressing and psychosocial factors. Stress Factors Living can be thought of as a continuum of stress and adaption. Perceptions of stress are influenced by the frequency of stressful life events and their severity, and the individuals ability to mobilize internal and external resources to handle them. Psychosocial Factors Suicide is a response to a crisis, and it is an effort to cope with intolerable psychosocial and neurobiological stressors generated by life experiences. Meaningful interpersonal relationships can buffer people from experiencing stress as intolerable and decrease the deleterious effects of crisis. Prevention Despite substantial attention to the problem of suicide among college students over the past several decades, reports on the extent of the problem have been largely inconclusive. This article reviews the findings of major studies of college suicide, noting how variations in campus and student characteristics, as well as inconsistencies in the way student suicides are defined and measured, have limited comparison of conclusions. Current evidence is reviewed that points to significant mental health problems on college campuses and suggests the need for outreach programs to identify students at risk for suicide and encourage them into treatment.

One such program under development by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is described in detail. Problems related to its implementation are identified and discussed, notably the reluctance of many university officials to know the actual identities of suicidal students.According to Rebecca A. Clay, there is decreasing and increasing rates of suicide among college students. She wanted to know what causes these attempts, thoughts, or feelings. What kind of help or if any help was received was also addressed in this article and how can the college or university make the students feel more comfortable.

Strategies involving restriction of access to common methods of suicide, such as firearms or toxic substances like pesticides, have proved to be effective in reducing suicide rates; however, there is a need to adopt multi-sectored approaches involving many levels of intervention and activities.There is compelling evidence indicating that adequate prevention and treatment of depression and alcohol and substance abuse can reduce suicide rates, as well as follow-up contact with those who have attempted suicide.

Journal of Affective Disorders cited some preventive measures to individuals who want to attempt suicide. Here are some practices to avoid suicidal behaviour: Take the opportunity to educate the public about suicide There are many misconceptions about suicide, and the media can play a role in dispelling various myths. The factors that lead an individual to suicide are usually multiple and complex, and should not be reported in a simplistic way.

Suicide is never the result of a single factor or event. Mental illness is a strong predictor of suicide. Also, impulsiveness plays an important role.Mental disorders, such as depression and substance use disorders may influence a persons ability to cope with various life stressors and interpersonal conflicts. Cultural, genetic and socioeconomic factors need to be taken into account as well. Almost always, it will be misleading to attribute a suicide to an individual event like exam failure or relationship breakdown, particularly in circumstances where the death has not yet been fully investigated. Suicide should certainly not be depicted as a means of coping with personal problems. The complexity of the act has a devastating impact for family members and friends, often leaving them searching for causes, wondering whether there had been signs they may have missed, mourning their loss, and feeling guilty, angry, stigmatized or abandoned. Reports of suicide that explore some of these impacts will further serve to educate the public. Avoid language which sensationalizes or normalizes suicide, or presents it as a solution to problems Perhaps more than anyone, media professionals recognizes the importance of language in conveying nuanced meanings. Language which conveys that suicide is a significant public health problem will serve to educate the community. Such language should not sensationalize suicide. Terms like increasing rates should be used in preference to hyperbolic phrases like suicide epidemic, and caution should be exercised in using the word suicide in headlines. Language that misinforms the public about suicide or normalizes it should be avoided. Out-of-context use of the word suicide e.g., political suicide may serve to desensitize the community to its gravity.

Louise Rebecca Shivessaid that terms like unsuccessful suicide imply that death is a desirable outcome and should not be used; alternative phrases such as nonfatal suicide attempt are more accurate and less open to misinterpretation. The phrase committed suicide should not be used because it implies criminality, thereby contributing to the stigma experienced by those who have lost a loved one to suicide and discouraging suicidal individuals from seeking help. Rather, one should refer to completed suicide. Suicide remains a criminal offence in some countries around the world.

Avoid prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide Tim Jones also figured out that prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide are more likely to lead to imitative behaviours than more subtle presentations. Newspaper stories about suicide should ideally be located on the inside pages, towards the bottom of the page, rather than on the front page or at the top of an inside page. Similarly, broadcast stories about suicide should be presented in the second or third break of television news, and further down the order of radio reports, rather than as the lead item. Consideration should be given to the extent to which the original story should be repeated or updated, and caution should be exercised in this regard.

Avoid explicit description of the method used in an attempted suicide Ann Isaacs studied and found out that detailed discussion of the method used in a given completed or attempted suicide should be avoided, because a step-by-step description may prompt vulnerable people to copy the act. For example, in reporting an overdose, it would be unwise to detail the nature, quantity or combination of drugs taken, or how they were procured. Particular caution should be exercised when the method of suicide is unusual. Avoid providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide Sometimes a location can develop a reputation as a suicide site e.g., a bridge, a tall building, a cliff or a railway station or crossing where fatal or non-fatal suicide attempts have occurred. Particular care should be taken by media professionals not to promote such locations as suicide sites by, for example, using sensationalist language to describe them or overplaying the number of incidents occurring at them. Exercise caution in using photographs or video footage Philip Zimbardo noted thatphotographs or video footage of the scene of a given suicide should not be used, particularly if doing so makes the location or method clear to the reader or viewer. In addition, pictures of an individual who has died by suicide should not be used. If visual images are used, explicit permission must be given by family members. These images should not be prominently placed and should not glamorize the individual. Also, suicide notes should not be published.

Show due consideration for people bereaved by suicide Patricia OBrien said that a decision to interview someone who has been bereaved by suicide should not be taken lightly. People who have been bereaved by suicide are at heightened risk of suicide themselves. People who have experienced the death from suicide of a loved one are vulnerable and are working through grief and related issues. Their privacy should be respected at all times. Word headlines carefully Headlines are designed to attract the readers attention by giving the essence of the story in as few words as possible. Use of the word suicide in the headline should be avoided, as should be explicit reference to the method or site of the suicide. Take particular care in reporting celebrity suicides Donna M. Womble said that celebrity suicides are clearly newsworthy, and reporting them is often regarded as being in the public interest. However, reports of suicides by famous entertainers and political figures are particularly likely to influence the behaviour of vulnerable individuals, because they are revered by the community. Glorifying a celebritys death may suggest that society honours suicidal behaviour. For this reason, particular care should be taken in reporting celebrity suicides. Reports should not glamorize the suicide, should not describe the method in detail, and should comment on its impact on others. Additionally, care should be taken when reporting a celebrity death where no reason for the death is immediately available.

Provide information about where to seek help Information about the options for seeking help should be included at the end of a story on suicide. The specific help sources will depend on the context, but might include general physicians, other health professionals, and community resources, as well as telephone helpline services. Listing available help sources will provide immediate avenues of support for individuals who are distressed or prompted to consider self-harm as a result of the story. Recognize that media professionals themselves may be affected by stories about suicide Mary Townsend said that preparing a story about an individuals suicide can resonate with media professionals' own experiences. The effect can be particularly pronounced in small, close-knit communities, where media professionals have strong local connections. There is an obligation on media organizations to ensure that necessary supports are in place, particularly for more junior staff. Such supports might include debriefing opportunities, mentoring arrangements and so on. Individual media professionals should not feel hesitant to seek help from within or outside the organization if they are adversely affected in any way.

According to Redaniel et al; (2011) the official suicide rates are lower in the Philippines than in many other countries in the Western Pacific region, although there is likely to be under-reporting because of its non-acceptance by the Catholic Church and the associated disgrace and stigma to the family. As in other Catholic countries, a high proportion of suicide deaths are likely to be misclassified as injury of underreporting of suicides is important so its true incidence and trends can be stimulated. To date, no studies of national trends in the incidence o suicide or the national epidemiology of suicidal behavior have been undertaken using Philippine mortality data. An anthropological study investigated suicide among the Kubli people, a tribal group in South Western Philippines (Southern Palawan0 based on 18 suicides occurring between 1990-2001in a population of 867 people an incidence of 173 per 100,000 per year (95% Confidence Interval, 106-267 per 100,000). The ratio of male: female suicides was 2;1, the highest numbers of deaths occurred at age 13-29 years or men and 50-70 for women. Most suicides used hanging (65%); the other common methods were poisoning using the juice of Derris elliptica (tuba) or an industrial pesticide (tejudan) (21.6%). Among the Kulbi people, reasons for suicide were sickness and old age (among the old), anger, jealousy, or love problems (among younger and middle-aged adults) and grief over death o a loved-one (all ages). While suicide is disapproved of, there is no stigma or consequence attached to it in this community, in contrast to the attitudes and beliefs in the general population.

From the book Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing of Mary C. Townsend she stated according to Blackburn (1990); Crisis Hotline (2001), USPHS (1990); the Samaritans (20020; and Harvard Medical School (1996)the facts and fables about suicide. She stated fables and facts that includes; Fables Facts

1.) People who talk about suicide do 1.) Eight out of 10 people who kill not commit suicide. Suicide themselves have given definite clues and warnings about their suicidal intentions. suicidal 2.) Most suicidal people are ambivalent

happens without warning. 2.) You cannot stop a

person. He/she is fully intent on about their feelings regarding living and dying. dying. Most are gambling with death and see it as a cry for someone to save them. 3.) Once a person is suicidal, he or she is 3.) People who want to kill themselves are suicidal forever. only suicidal for a limited time. If they are saved from feelings of self-destruction, they can go on to lead normal lives. 4.) Improvement after severe depression 4.) Most suicides occur within about 3 means that the suicide risk is over. months after the beginning of improvement, when the individual has the energy to carry out suicide intentions. 5.) Suicide is inherited, or runs in families. 5.) Suicide is not inherited. It is an individual matter and can be prevented.

6.) All suicidal individuals are mentally ill, 6.) Although suicidal persons are extremely and suicide is the act of a psychotic unhappy, they are not necessarily person. psychotic or otherwise mentally ill. They are merely unable, at that point in time, to see an alternative solution to what they consider an unbearable problem. 7.) Suicidal threats and gestures should be 7.) All suicidal behavior must be considered manipulative or attention- approached with the gravity of the potential

seeking behaviour and people should not act in mind. Attention should be given to be taken seriously. the possibility that the individual is issuing a cry for help... 8.) People usually commit suicide by taking 8.) Gunshot wounds are the leading cause an overdose of drugs. of death among suicide victims.

9.) If an individual has attempted suicide, 9.) 50%-80% of all people who ultimately he or she will not do it again. kill themselves have a history of previous attempt

CONCLUSION

It is a devastating fact that the suicide rate of teenagers has shot up in the past 40 years. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds, after auto accidents. One misconception of the past was that depression meant and looked like sadness. In reality, depression in teens sometimes appears when there is a loss of interest in activities that were once important, failing grades, or irritability. These teens tend to not care about anything at all, and are simply living their life with no goals for the future. Not many people realize that the number of teens who consider suicide is extremely large, and continues to grow.

Worldwide, the prevention of suicide has not been adequately addressed due to basically a lack of awareness of suicide as a major problem and the taboo in many societies to discuss openly about it. In fact, only a few countries have included prevention of suicide among their priorities. Reliability of suicide certification and reporting is an issue in great need of improvement. It is clear that suicide prevention requires intervention also from outside the health sector and calls for an innovative, comprehensive multi-sectoral approach, including both health and non-health sectors, e.g. education, labor, police, justice, religion, law, politics, the media.

The topic of suicide is one that can stir great pain, anger, and controversy. People have various beliefs and values dealing with suicide and these can define who a person is in context to their view on suicide

When asking a person about how they feel about suicide the answers will be highly varied. With Durkheims model it is easier to understand the motivations one who commits suicide has even if it does not make it easier to take on an emotional level.

Teen suicide is preventable if it must just be spotted early. A suicidal person doesn't really want to die. He wants to live without the pain, the psychological pain.

The teenage years are a period of turmoil for just about everyone. These young adolescents are learning new social roles, developing new relationships, getting use to changes in ones body, and making decisions about ones future. The killing of own life intentionally is referred to as suicide. Each year thousands of teenagers commit suicide. According to www.health.nytimes.com, there are unmet needs why most adolescents commit suicide. The first unmet need that leads to suicide is family problems. Although teenagers tend to be rebellious, they need to feel loved by their family. When families are constantly fighting with each other, the individual feels that he or she may not be able to keep relationships in the future. They tend to just section themselves away from their family, and do their own thing.

The second unmet need that leads to suicide is pressure from friends and being socially accepted. The teenage years are a time where friends are extremely important to them. They need the feeling that they have a group of people whom they trust that they may go to for guidance. Even if their family is there for them, they still need people within their age group to be a part of their life. If the groups of friends chosen are bad influences, they may pressure the teen in doing things they wouldn't normally do.

The third unmet need that leads to suicide is drugs and the media. The media is known for giving mixed messages. One minute they will tell viewers that smoking is bad, and the next they will show a group of friends at a party having a good time while smoking and drinking. The media also puts pressure on teens to look and act a certain way to be popular.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, if a teen that is already on the road to depression is unhappy with their bodies because they don't look like the ones on TV and in magazines, they may become even more depressed. They believe that the way to get away from these feelings is to use drugs. Since the media associates drinking and doing drugs with having a good time, the teenager may feel that they have nothing to lose. Suicide in teenagers is not necessarily something you can find a solution for, but it is something you can try to prevent. Talking to a suicidal teenager about suicide is not a bad thing to do. The teen may believe that you are beginning to answer their cry for help. Reassuring the teen that they are loved and cared about is another good thing to do. They need to know that their problems can be solved and that people are there that want to help them.

Listening to all their problems without getting mad is also a must. They need to let a lot of feelings and emotions that they have bottled up out, so that they feel a little more relieved. Nowadays, access to weapons is much easier, so if teenagers wanted to commit suicide, there wouldn't be a problem. Lastly, professional help needs to be sought. Most of the time teenagers think they want to end their life, but they hesitate

because they aren't sure. Once professional help is sought, these feelings may go away.

In conclusion, suicide in teenagers isn't something that should be taken lightly. Attempts of suicide are cries for help, and whether they are heard or not may be the difference between life and death. When a teenager is depressed, they can't think of anything else to do but end their life. Depression begins with family problems where the teenager begins feeling a form of loss. It continues when they feel socially unaccepted by their peers, and pressured from their friends to be someone they aren't.

The individual, in seemingly hopeless conflict with the world, decides to end his or her existence in what he or she considers being the only way out. These are usually teens that are experiencing intense psychological pain from unmet needs. These unmet needs, such as having family problems, pressure from friends and being socially accepted, and drugs and the media, turn into depression, which causes the individual more pain. That is why the mental disease of depression is the immediate cause of teenage suicide.

RECOMMENDATIONS Base on the conclusion and information compiled, the researchers extremely recommend all individuals that have an ideation of suicide to have themselves check by a psychologist to prevent complete suicide. This behaviour is a serious problem especially to teen adults. Everyone of us do suffer in depression which triggers an individual to hurt or kill oneself, that is why the researchers recommend to all to always remind ourselves that we are all suffering with different hardships that we are not alone and each one of us has worth. Think of those people who appreciate and love us. The researchers suggest to all parents to have a stronger family ties to help their children have a strong faith and to give them good guidance. This is because parents are the ones that built the ground of their children. The researchers also recommend the parents not to have any lethal means or gun inside the house as gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death among suicide victims this is to prevent the use of it to kill oneself. Theres another advice for parents is to always ask your son/daughter in a friendly way, if there is any problem that they in at that point, either if it is about family, friends or love because sometimes they take their problem are unbearable that they only see one alternative solution to stop or end it, and that is suicide. Early this month February 2012, a Filipino based in America ended her life because of bullying in a social networking site. This incident is very alarming because it only show the side of the teen adult of being secretive. They do not tell their parents about what is going on to their lives, and parents do not ask their children what is going on even though they see some uneasiness on the part of their children.

That is why the researchers extremely recommend to all parents to be aware of the different behaviour signs for them to recognize if their children is having some problems. Committing suicide is unacceptable especially if the reason is very usual or not a big deal. All must be grateful for the life our creator has given us; He is the only one who could take it from us. For other researchers who are conducting or will be conducting research or studies about suicide, the researchers suggest them to priorities more on how to detect and prevent the suicidal behaviour of individuals. As for the government, the researchers recommend to have a larger scale of programs for the prevention of suicide. As all Filipino knows the country is in a pool of problems, poverty and family problems as one of the reasons why children commit suicide which is very alarming. There are a number of cases that children kill themselves because of hunger, being alone, being abused and having a family problem. For the past years there are numbers of murder-suicide this is when a person kills someone then kill oneself after. One of this is when a father or mother poisoned their children and spouse then kills him/her self because of poverty. On the other way around are incidences where in a boyfriend/girlfriend or ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend or even husband/wife kills their partner or ex-partner because of jealousy, possessiveness and hatred. As it known, this kind of problems that leads someone to kill oneself is very common to all because mostly all are having this kind of problems. So, the government must be aware of this problem and do something about it.

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APPENDIX Problem: Suicidal Behavior and Attempts Questions: 1. Who are the individuals that are at risk of committing suicide? 2. What are the factors that trigger someone to commit or idealize suicide? 3. Why would a person commit suicide? 4. What makes suicide as the second leading cause of death amongst college students? 5. What are the necessary preventions for suicidal attempt?