al population (Borst 8). The onsets of puberty and hormones that bring out sexual maturationare the most prevalent biological risk factors in adolescent. The sense of identity is a majordevelopment task of adolescence. “Teenagers who develop some consistent understanding ofwhom whey are and whom they are becoming will have foundation of competence in coping withthe stresses of this period. In contrast, adolescents who struggle with their identities are less likelyto develop the coping skills needed to deal effectively with these challenges” (16). Fluctuatingmood states are psychological risk that all adolescents experience (16).Many suicidal adolescents come from highly conflicted homes that are unresponsive to theteenager’s needs. Suicidal adolescents are often socially isolated and alienated individuals. Theyare likely to have poor peer relationships and are generally unpopular at school. Also, drug andalcohol abuse is common with adolescent suicidal behavior (17). Most troubled adolescents,including those who are suicidal, tend to perform poorly in school and to be skipping frequently(Coleman 17). Triggering events often seem trivial to adults. This age group often exaggerates theimportance of minor events such as failure experiences of problems with peers, parents, siblings,or the opposite sex (Borst 17).Studies have shown that eighty percent of all suicide victims give some kind of codedmessage that they are planning or thinking seriously about killing himself or herself (Coleman127). “A series of these signs should be taken as a cry for help: acts of aggression/violentbehavior, passive behavior, running away, alcohol and/or drug abuse, changes in eating habits,changes in sleeping behavior/insomnia, frequent crying, sudden changes in personality, suddenmood swings, impulsivity, lack of interest in school work/decline in grades, difficultyconcentrating, loss or lack of friends, preoccupation with death, decli...
