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Research Memo #3

        For my research memo #3, I focused on the media for my topic of depression and suicide. I have three sources that I am going to post on my blog. The first source is a video from YouTube. The video is called teen suicide letter. The second source that I found is a song. The song is called perfect by pink. Finally, my last source is a commercial. These three sources helped me in my research because it showed me what I hope to show other people.  What I want to show people is that  there is hope.

My first source is a video from YouTube that give lines from and actual suicide letter written my a teenage girl. “I’m alone, no one cares whether I live or die...” That quote was taken from the video and it shows that a teen that has depression or is suicidal feels. She felt like she was worthless and no one would notice whether she lived or died.  “I hurt so bad, what can I do?” She’s lost and doesn’t know how to feel better. In the video she asks for someone to help her. This video shows that teen suicide is happening all around us, it’s real.

  My second source is a song called perfect by pink. This song tells a story about a girl who is suicidal. She thinks that she isn’t worth the trouble and she thinks horribly of herself. The video for the song shows that she carves perfect into her arm because that’s what she wants to be. But pink sings about not worrying about the little imperfections. Pink tells her that she is perfect just the way she is because no one is perfect. “Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead.” These lyrics are saying that you need to believe in yourself and change what you think of yourself.

       Finally, my last source I choose a commercial. This commercial shows a future where a young student commits suicide. But when it flashes back to reailty, he hasn’t died yet.  “I didn’t take him seriously,” One of his fellow classmates knew he spoke about suicide but didn’t think anything of it. “He had such big mood swings, I should’ve done something,” another one of his classmates noticed that he had been having mood swings that were probably caused by depression, bipolar disorder or a different mental disease. Suicide is not a joke. This commercial is showing people that if you think someone is depressed or suicidal you can help them. You don’t have to be a cop or a therapist; you just have to be a friend who will listen to what’s going on with them.  Then you can get them the help they need.

        Overall, media is a very helpful source for research. It helps to spread awareness through TV, magazines, pictures, songs and other sources of media. I believe that these sources will better educate people on how to help depressed or suicidal teens because it shows them the reality that suicide is all around us; its real. By using media to spread awareness, we can understand how to handle situations like these if we ever come across it.

How to help a friend that is depressed

Sometimes it's more difficult to help others than to help yourself. But here are some things to think about if a friend seems depressed:

·         Make an effort to be with your friend, even though it might not be easy. Depressed people tend to feel isolated.

·         Don't use false cheerfulness. Your friend may feel you aren't taking the problem seriously.

·         Don't blame. Depression is no one's fault.

·         Don't get angry. It's nothing personal if your friend doesn't respond to your help.

·         Express your own feelings. If you don't want to listen to your friend's woes again, just say so. Go out and have fun and don't feel guilty.

·         Get adult help. If your friend talks about suicide, or you're worried for any other reason, talk to your parents, your friend's parents, your school counselor. It's not a breach of loyalty to save a friend's life.

Warning signs of suicide

• Disinterest in favorite extracurricular activities 
• Problems at school
• Substance abuse, including alcohol and drug (illegal and legal drugs) use
• Behavioral problems 
• Withdrawing from family and friends 
• Sleep changes 
• Changes in eating habits 
• Begins to neglect hygiene and other matters of personal appearance 
• Emotional distress brings on physical complaints (aches, fatigues, migraines) 
• Hard time concentrating and paying attention 
• Declining grades in school
• Loss of interest in schoolwork 
• Risk taking behaviors 
• Complains more frequently of boredom 
• Does not respond as before to praise
• Gets affairs in order such as writing a will
• Visiting family or friends to say goodbye

Warning Signs of Depression:

·         There's no interest in school and grades fall.

·         Being with friends holds absolutely no appeal.

·         Sleep problems are common--either not being able to fall asleep at night or wanting to sleep all day.

·         Appetite is out of whack. There's either no desire for food, or the person seems to be eating all the time.

·         The person is obsessed with thoughts of death, maybe suicide. It's estimated that 15 percent of people with major depression commit suicide, and many more attempt it. There are 6,000 suicides by adolescents each year, and depression is the biggest risk factor.

·         Everything seems hopeless, and there's the feeling it will never get better.

·         Headaches, stomachaches, or other aches and pains appear.

·         It's impossible to concentrate or make a decision.

Teen Suicide & Depression

                For my research memo #2, I further researched depression in young teens. To help me with my research, I found two articles to analyze and gather information from. My first article focuses on depression and how it’s more than just any sadness. My second article focuses on teen suicide and also has some helpful information and facts about depression in teens. I annotated articles and bolded words and/or phrases that are key in my research. I found that the articles were very helpful with my research.

                The first article is called Depression: Way beyond the blues.  It’s a good title because it is true. Depression is a mental illness and if causes teens to feel great sadness and agitation for more than two weeks. Clinical depression is severe enough to require treatment such as an anti-depressant. Doctors find it difficult to diagnose teens that may have depression because every teen has mood swings and they all act out sometimes.

                Depression can cause a teen to be suicidal, which is why it needs to be taken seriously. Teens that have depression may feel tired and not want to get out of bed, but just lie there and sleep. It isn’t always physically that you’re tired either. It can be emotionally or just in general. Someone who is depressed might let their grades slip in school. They have a feeling of worthlessness and just give up trying. There are a few different kinds of depression such as major depression and bipolar disorder. Major depression is an illness marked by hopeless feelings, inability to feel pleasure, physical changes or complaints, thoughts of death and suicide. A person with bipolar disorder alternates between periods of high activity or mania and periods of hopelessness or depression.

                Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses of our era. But luckily, it seems to respond well to proper treatment. Antidepressants help people feel better by affecting neurotransmitters and brain functions. Certain functions are thought to control feelings of security and alertness.  Although specific effects have not been worked out yet, its thought that antidepressants work by helping regulate the dysfunction in the brain that is causing a person to feel depressed.

                The second article is called surprising statistics among teenage deaths. This article gives accurate and helpful facts on depression and teen suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers.  The teens today are faced with many problems and stress. Some teens are stressed over making sports teams while other teens are stressed about getting good grades and making their parents happy or proud of them. But other teens are faced with constant depression along with problems they already have.

                80% of people who commit suicide have given clues about their intentions but at the time they weren’t taken seriously. People who are depressed should get help immediately because if they talk about suicide, they are reaching out for attention and love. Many suicides have a history of one or more attempts. Friends and family should know the warning signs for depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide.

                For my research memo #3, I will be looking at the media to see what is being done about awareness of how serious teen suicide is. I will be analyzing this media and help educate people on depression and suicide using songs, videos, pictures, ect. People tend to pay more attention to media than articles and essays in this century so I plan on choosing media that will show people that suicide and depression are to be taken seriously.

Research Memo #1

Hypothesis:

According to the World Health Organization, “Someone around the globe dies every 40 seconds by committing suicide.” When you are a teenager, this is the point where you are finding out who you really are and along that road come struggles. Some of these struggles are relationships, academic pressure, or problems with friends and family. But what about the teens who suffer mentally? My hypothesis is depression has the greatest impact on teen suicide because teens who suffer from depression are twice as likely to commit suicide than teens who do not suffer from depression.

Context:

I conducted research on what cause has the greatest impact on teen suicide. Problems in school, family, friendships, or relationships cause teens to feel overwhelmed. I believe the cause that has the greatest impact on teen suicide is depression. Depression is a mental illness that causes teens or anyone who suffers from it to feel overly sad. For my target audience, I chose teenagers age 14-19 because it can give me some insight on how they feel and help me prove my hypothesis.

Results:

Trends	Responses	Errors
When asked what causes teens to commit suicide, depression was always marked.	Depression causes many teens to attempt or commit suicide.	I did not include an introduction on my survey so I had to explain my research question to everyone who took my survey.
In the agree/disagree statement, Teens commit suicide because they believe it will solve their problems, All but one person chose agree.	About 98% of the people who took the survey agreed that teens commit suicide to solve their problems.
100% of people who took the survey said that teens who are suicidal could be helped.	This shows that people believe that teens can be helped and they still have hope that they will get better.
Everyone who took the survey said that it is true that the suicide rate is increasing.	People are aware that more and more teens commit suicide each year.
95% of the people who took my survey said that it is hard to tell if someone is depressed or suicidal.	This shows that most people do not know what signs to look for to tell if someone is depressed or suicidal.

Data Analysis:

Teens that have depression are more likely to commit suicide than teens who do not have depression.

· Depression is a mental illness that causes anyone who suffers from it to be overly sad. It affects the lives of millions of teens each day and it is said to be the leading cause of teen suicide.

· Teens who suffer from depression are more likely to commit suicide than teens who do not suffer from depression makes teens feel sadder than average teenagers do. For example, an average teenager who gets bad grades in school improves their working skills while a teen who suffers from depression often feels like their a failure.

Teen suicide is among the third leading causes of death

· In the last 45 years, the suicide rate has increased by 60% worldwide. It is among the three leading causes of death in those aged 15-4 years and the second leading death in those aged 10-24 years.

· Biological, cultural, social, psychotically, and environmental factors all play a part in why people commit suicide.

Conclusion:

My hypothesis was that depression has the greatest impact on teen suicide because teens who suffer from depression are twice as likely to commit suicide than teens who do not suffer from depression. I believe that I was correct because mental illnesses cause a person to feel and act differently from the average person. Depression makes a teen feel overly sad and sometimes worthless enough to take their own life. I believe that we can help teen that are suicidal by reaching out to them and getting them help.

Follow up:

There are many causes for teenage suicide and for my Research Memo #2, I will further examine how depression affects the lives of teenagers and how it affects families. My essential research question that will be examined next will how teen suicide affects families. Based on the research that I have collected so far, I have not changed my research questions

Questions

Why do teens commit suicide?

How does teen suicide affect families?
What if there was a way to help teens who are suicidal?                                                                            

What should be done to prevent suicide?

Which cause has the greatest impact on teen suicide?

A tear falls down Sarah Madison's face as she despairingly walks through the cold, lifeless tombstones until she stops. Holding herself together, she slowly kneels and places the rose bouquet next to the gravestone. As she stares at the name engraved on the tombstone, she remembers that horrible night, all over again. Three months ago, Sarah's world came crashing down. Sarah, her husband Paul, and their youngest child, Alex, had gone out to dinner on September21. When they arrived home, their daughter, Raven was nowhere in sight. They called and called her name but there was no answer. Frantically they all searched the house hoping to find her. Alex went to look in her room and he screamed. Paul and Sarah rushed over to find Alex standing at the foot of Raven's closet door. They found her. Raven committed suicide on September 21, 2003. No one knew that she suffered from severe depression since she was 12 years old. It got so bad that Raven ended her life because she could not bear to wake up to another day. Silence is a person's loudest cry. Every 40 seconds, a teen dies from suicide. You have the power to help them. Will you?

Hanging by a Thread.