Suicide in Chicago and Suburbs, (Calumet City, IL 60409)
Suicide in Chicago and its suburbs has been on the rise. Cases of suicide in towns are usually related with factors such as depression, stress, social challenges, and a difference in opinion between two people or groups, among other factors. For most of the people who commit suicide, they view it as a permanent solution to their problems. Cyber-bullying is one of the factors, which has contributed to increased suicide rates in the contemporary world. Suicide rates can be reduced among populations through measures such as counselling and restriction of internet use in homes. This essay discusses the increased rates of suicide in Chicago and its suburbs.
The increased rates of suicide rates in Chicago commonly affect adolescents. Most of the suicide rates that have been reported in this region were those committed by school-going adolescent. A high number of the adolescents who committed suicide were also those who used social media sites to communicate with their friends. The influence of social media on these deaths has been associated with the ability of these adolescents to access numerous internet sites. According to the most recent data collected nationwide in the United States by the American Association of Suicidology in 2007, people aged between 15 and 24 years committed most of the deaths related to suicide (Cullotta, 2010). Most of the students who committed suicide in Chicago and its suburbs were aged between 14 years and 24 years of age.
Most of the students who committed suicide live in DuPage, Kane, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County. In Cook County, approximately 415 suicide rates were reported between 2008 and 2009. A report on the Washington Post showed that a 16-year-old girl had committed suicide in Bethesda, which was followed by another suicide committed by a 14-year-old in Germantown, Maryland. On 3rd December, another 16-year-old who was in the 11th grade and played in the wrestling team at Walter Johnson High School also committed suicide. The federal date collected in Chicago showed that the rates of thee suicides had increased among 15 to 19 year-old girls. The deaths that occurred in Bethesda and Greenberg flooded social media sites (George, 2018).
Currently most of the students in these areas and schools are still traumatized by the suicide cases that occurred. Parents also worried that the rest of the middle and high school students in these schools were affected by these deaths and were left to deal with difficult emotions. Most of the schools in these regions have not experienced suicides in the recent past (George, 2018).
Knowledge gaps exist in relation to these suicides. These gaps include the thoughts that go through the students head before committing suicide, the actions that lead to their decision, and whether peer influence contributes to increased suicide rates. The question on whether students feel pressured by the education system and performance expectations should also be investigated as a cause for students (Cullotta, 2010).
Some of the possible solutions that can be offered to these adolescent students include provision of education on the effects of social media and cyber-bullying. The students should also receive one-on-one counselling sessions to assess their views and emotional status after the occurrence of these suicides. Through these counselling sessions, these students can be counseled on approaches that they can use to manage depression and stress that rule out suicidal thoughts. It is also important to ensure that the students do not feel lonely or lack options when faced with challenges.
References
Cullotta, K. A. (2010, October 15). High Rates of Suicide in Chicago, Suburbs Raise Red Flags. Retrieved from Chicago Tribune: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-15/news/ct-x-n-mchenry-suicide-20101014_1_suicide-prevention-fourth-student-suicide-jeff-arnett
George, D. S. (2018, January 2). Suicide and Social Media in the Suburbs: A Cascade of Hearts, a Sense of Loss. Retrieved from Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-suicide-and-social-media-in-the-suburbs-20180102-story.html