Biological Changes
Consider what's going on throughout a teenager's body and mind when adolescence hits. Physical body changes, changing thought patterns, and overwhelming emotions are all common during stages of adolescence. All of the various changes, physical and emotional, during the teenage years, add to the other external stresses that a teenage girl or boy may have.
Emotional Problems
Diagnoses of mental health disorders and other emotional problems are common during a teenager's life. Conduct disorder, depression and bipolar disorder are just three examples of major disorders that a teenager may be diagnosed with. Even though antidepressants or other medications may be prescribed, these emotional and mood disorders still affect teenagers' thought processes, aggressive outbursts, and feelings at a time when their bodies, brains and minds are already changing dramatically through adolescence.
Substance Use
Many teenagers engage in substance use with alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs. Alcohol and many illegal substances are known for their depressive effects, and this is a major factor when considering teenage suicide. In addition, substance use and abuse can have an even more detrimental effect on a teen's thought processes and attitudes if he or she is already suffering from depression or another other mental disorder.
Genetic Factors
Having a family member or close relative who committed suicide may be a risk factor for teenage suicide. Even though this does not imply that if a mother, father, or grandparent committed suicide then a teenager will commit suicide as well, researchers have found a genetic link between the two scenarios.
Unstable Support
There are many different personality profiles of teenagers who commit suicide, but a person's support ring is an important factor. Whether a teen has a stable support ring of friends at school and/or with family members is important to consider. Loneliness will often set in if a person does not have sufficient emotional support for crisis situations, and it can contribute to the other causes and factors in teenage suicide.
Major Life Stress
Any major life event that causes immense stress and distress in a teenager's life is a huge risk factor for suicide. Dealing with a parent's divorce, the break-up with a girlfriend or boyfriend, and other family or school situations in which a teenager feels trapped and alone are often cited to be linked with a teen's suicide even though it may not have been the direct cause. Major stress resulting from the difficult situation in a teenager's life combines itself with other major risk factors and often acts as the final trigger for a teenage suicide.
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