problem definition

Studies from 2001 have shown the third leading cause of death for youth aged 15-24 is suicide in the United States. This statistic is from suicide.org. The population defined is young people ranging from teenagers to young adults. The place is America and the time frame is from around 2001. I chose this topic as the third leading cause of death is a very high number and it is something that is highly preventable. The population chosen I believe is important because it is a prime time of growth for many people and highly affects the society. The age group is around college students and the working population. They are the future of society so if suicide affects this age group, it shows there is something wrong. Also, this age group should be the healthiest as they have most likely become independent recently and at their prime time of age. Suicide is usually correlated with depression and substance abuse, so if there is a high number of suicide rate within the population, it shows the risk factors are high in society, which even if it does not lead to suicide, can harm society greatly. There are many problem factors contributing to suicide. Biological problems include family history of mental illness or history of suicide. Environmental factors include situations of being exposed to another suicide or negative feelings. Cultural can have stress as a strong risk factor for suicide where one may be pressured a lot. Political can include the economy going through a rough time, which shows a higher rate of incidence. Another risk factor is lots of violence surrounding the person. All these negative causes can destroy a society and a person’s life. Statistics from NIH.gov show there are 20.2 deaths from suicide per 100,000 in the population in ages 15-24. Men are four times more likely to die from suicide than women and the most common method of suicide is firearm, suffocation, and poisoning. I picked the time frame because it is a recent time frame and shows how our society is currently functioning. From rates posted from 1950 to 2003, suicide rates have more than doubled. This is shown from suicide.org. This could be due to incorrect collection of data from earlier years and most likely a huge population growth, but suicide is still a problem in the states. The place chosen is America because it is home and there seems to be more pressure in the youth. Suicide is highly preventable and rates can hopefully go down with much effort soon.