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Students who have Attempted Suicide Previously, even if their attempts didn't seem very serious, are at high risk for suicide, especially when the problems that originally let to a suicide attempt haven't changed and they haven't received help in dealing with their problems.
Students with Little Self-esteem may become suicidal: Their self-rejection is painful and humiliating. Worse, they may judge their own suicidal thoughts as weak, cowardly, or "crazy." It's a vicious cycle that can end in self-destruction.
Severely Depressed Students may become suicidal. Depression can make us feel that life is not worth living. When that feeling strikes young people, they don't realize that it is temporary. There's always the danger that some further loss, failure, or feeling of "not belonging" or being hopelessly lost will precipitate a suicide attempt.
Teenagers in Trouble can become desperate in seeking a way out; they may even prefer death to facing consequences. These students are sometimes emotionally volatile, perform poorly in school, and act impulsively—in some instances, violently. They generally cannot seem to live up to what others expect of them at home or at school.
Abused, Molested, or Neglected Children often feel guilty, ashamed, isolated, and indifferent to life. They can become depressed and suicidal even though the abuse occurred years earlier.
Abusers of Alcohol or Drugs are at greater risk for suicide. These chemicals frequently contribute to the problems and stresses that can lead to suicide. And studies show that about 50 percent of young people who commit suicide have a recent history of substance abuse.
Perfectionists, those young people whose self-esteem comes largely from achievement, can become devastated over failure. They set high standards and have great expectations for themselves. They are anxious to do well at school and usually do. They underrate their own abilities and expect lower grades than they get. Their threshold for failure is low, so what may seem a small failure to others may be intolerable to a perfectionist.
Gays and Lesbians, young people who are struggling with, or because of, their sexual identity, appear to have a higher incidence of suicidal behavior than their heterosexual peers. They may be subjected to rejection, discrimination, and isolation from support networks because of their sexual orientation.
Unnecessary Risk-Takers are young people whose choice of high-risk sports, hobbies, and other unnecessarily dangerous activities can reflect an indifference to life. Similarly, sexual promiscuity reflects risk-taking and low self-esteem.
Learning Disabled Students appear to have a somewhat higher incidence of suicide than others. Situations are more difficult for them; they may feel unaccepted, alienated from their mainstream peers, discouraged about their options in life, and hopeless about their future.
Loners who are isolated socially are frequently unable to relate to others and to develop an adequate support system and safety valve for their feelings.
Students Showing Sudden and Extreme Changes in School Behavior may be depressed or suicidal. Be alert for warning signs that you may observe in or outside the classroom:
Abrupt changes in attendance. Remain alert to excessive absenteeism in a student with a good attendance record, particularly when the change is sudden.
Dwindling academic performance. Question any unexpected, sustained decrease in school performance. Inability to concentrate, which leads to poor performance, is typical in suicidal adolescents.
Sudden failure to complete assignments. This may be due to a variety of factors, including inability to concentrate and a lack of interest. This is often seen in depressed and suicidal youngsters.
Lack of interest and withdrawal. It is difficult to observe subtle individual changes in a classroom full of students. However, one of the first signs of a potentially suicidal adolescent is general withdrawal, disengagement, and apathy. You may notice a sudden lack of interest in participation in extracurricular clubs or involvement in sports activities.
Changed relationships with classmates. Additional evidence of personal despair may include abrupt changes in friendships and other social relationships.
Increased irritability or aggressiveness. Depressed, stressed, and potentially suicidal individuals demonstrate wide mood swings and inappropriate displays of emotion.
Preoccupation with death and suicide. Sometimes warnings take the form of preoccupation with death such as writing death poems or filling sheets of paper with sad or macabre drawings. A student may show intense interest in themes such as death or dying, suicide, worthlessness, or hopelessness.
Despairing attitude. Students may make comments to classmates or staff members about being unhappy, feeling like a failure, not caring about anything, not caring about the future, or even not caring about living or dying.
Sleeping in class. Students may fall asleep because sleeping patterns are disrupted or because it is a way to escape. Lethargy, decreased motivation, infrequent communication, and social isolation are not unusual.
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