It is important to stress that the crisis may be insignificant to
the adults around, but very significant to the teenager. The losses of a
boyfriend or girlfriend, a drop in school marks or negative reprimands by a
significant adult, predominantly a parent or teacher, may be precipitant to a
suicidal act. Suicidal acts are more common among adolescents who have already
experienced major stress in their lives. Major stress includes parent discord,
being physically or sexually abused and alcohol or drug abuse. A suicide of
close relative or confidant may also be an important identifier of those at the
greatest risk, as when a teen commits suicide, it affects the whole community
that they live in as well as their family. When a family member commits suicide,
the whole family must grieve and show their emotions openly. The worst possible
thing to do is to hold all of the emotions inside the body. The teenager who
exhibits very clear character alter, including backing up from society, or who
gives away cherished belongings may also be seriously contemplating ending his
or her life. Many adolescents try to commit suicide than who actually succeed,
and the methods used may be unfledged. There is a propensity to treat alleged
minor attempts as attention seeking, theatrical and of no importance. This is a
mistake, as a teenager who has attempted suicide and has not received any relief
from his or her unfeasible circumstances may well be a thriving repeater. All
with nothing-to-live-for behaviors reflect a cry for help and must be taken
seriously. Showing adolescents that you care about them is quite possibly all
that they need to prevent them from becoming a statistic in the agonizing story
of adolescent suicide. No one is satisfied with what he has, an average person
complains at least 50 times a day about his life, most of them have loving
families, and good homes and almost all they need. Now, think of the stress on a
homeless adolescent. School does not seem to be an easy place for homeless
adolescents. The peers do not except homeless adolescents and therefore
practically all suffer from low self – esteem. Adolescents who share their room
with their entire family or adolescents who share room with many other
adolescents lack privacy and have limited space for all sort of activities.
Therefore, they are tending to become aggressive in nature. Adolescents who
often change schools lack both structure and permanence in their lives, and may
be unwilling to make close friends. Adolescents who have to keep moving have no
sense of roots, personal space, or possessions. School is just one of the many
places where homeless adolescents have trouble in. Many homeless adolescents
find that exchanging sex for food, clothing, and shelter they are only chance
for survival on the streets.
Moreover, homeless youth are at a greater risk of
contracting AIDS or HIV-related illnesses. Homeless adolescents often undergo
from harsh nervousness and depression, poor health and sustenance, and low
self-esteem. Therefore, more than half of homeless adolescents will die before
the age of 19. Accidentally before starting writing on this topic I read a story
of a man who used to live on streets and after his hardwork throughout the life
he is now a millionaire and helps homeless people now. It just goes to show that
there are all types of people on the streets. Maybe the next Mozart sleeps in a
refrigerator box. Possibly, the next Hitler eats out of a garbage dump. In spite
of the fact that we still can not state a solution, for homelessness, but we can
say that all the adolescents out there with no homes deserve at least a chance
to become something. : : Conclusion : : In conclusion I’d just like to state
that adolescence is a period when an individual can either make or mar his
future. Adolescence is a time when an adolescent gets easily carried away by all
the things he is exposed to. Sometimes an adolescent seeks for easy way out of
what all goes on and gets involved with pot, crack and booze. This happens when
he faces negligence, stress and group pressure and sometimes due to these
factors they also choose the option of ending their life. This is the time when
people start facing real challenges of life. There are many homeless adolescents
which r given proper care and guidance while this period of their life and they
fall prey to all kind of crimes. This is period when people should take control
of their life. This is where the most of them lose their path, and gets
attracted towards all sorts of things , i.e. why this period of life is called a
period of “storm and strife”.
Bibliography
Blackman, M. (1995, May). The Canadian Journal of CME [Internet]. HTTP:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p51-dp01.html. Brown, A. (1996). NARSAD
Research Newsletter [Internet]. HTTP:
http://www.mhsource.com/advocacy/narsad/childmood.html. Cohen, S. (1969). The
Drug Dilemma. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Book Company. Fort, Joel (1969). The
Pleasure Seekers. New York, NY: The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Miller, M. (1996). An
Outreach division of the Attorney General of the State of Arkansas. [Internet].
HTTP: http://www.ag.state.ar.us/advscripts/teensuicide/teensuicide.asp National
Coalition for the Homeless (1998, October). Homeless Families with Children NCH
Fact Sheet #7.
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