There is one current social problem that has plagued my
hometown community recently. Downers Grove Illinois is a Southwest suburb of
Chicago and is home to approximately 50,000 residents according to the 2008
United States Census. The specific problem has left families shattered,
neighborhoods in shock, and most importantly young lives tragically ended. The
trouble that has turned my hometown upside down recently is teen suicide. While
many would say 50,000 residents is a large township, anyone who is product of
this community would argue that it is a tightly knitted bunch, a proud bunch. What
then, could possibly bring such a bustling community to its knees, and asking
for answers in vain? The answer is the staggering explosion in suicide rates in
and around DuPage County. Coroner records show 78 suicides occurred in DuPage
County in 2009.
The frequency in suicides continued to climb with no apparent
sign of slowing down. This social problem was nothing new, but with an influx
in rates in recent years it had finally came to the forefront. The American
Association of Suicidology reports 34,598 Americans committed suicide in 2007,
27,000 of them males. Suicide is considered the third leading cause in death
for males ages 15-24. Whether it was a dinner conversation, catching up with an
old hometown friend, or gathering for a refreshment with acquaintances at a
wake service, suicide was no longer a whisper. What bothered us and our
surrounding Chicago land suburbs was how helpless we felt. What could I have
done? Did we do enough? Was there writing on the wall? All of these questions
broke the hearts of my neighbors, my teachers, my friends, and my community.
These reasons, coupled with the mourning of a life were exactly what bothered our
town.
While suicide in itself has many dark facets, recently the
NBC Digital Health Network has highlighted Downers Grove suicides in an attempt
to uncover underlying causes which more frequently than not remain unspoken and
hushed. Dr. David Shaffer, head of adolescent psychology Columbia University
states that the “patterns are usually straightforward.” Dr. Shaffer points to
depression amongst young people as the outright cause. Noted, it is not clearly
stated what roots the depression as that is a whole other problem affecting
communities. This has sparked widespread advocacy for mental health in mine and
surrounding communities. Prevention and awareness programs have sprouted all
around DuPage County. One in particular which was highlighted in a Chicago
Tribune article, High rates of suicide in
Chicago, Suburbs raise red flags, “help and hope” reach out to social
institutions such as schools and hospitals to raise awareness on mental health
and specifically suicide. I am very proud that programs such as these have
grown around my community. Suicide has been robbed of its lurking nature, as
communities we no longer write it off as isolated cases of troubled teens.
Downers Grove as well as surrounding communities have stood up and looked
suicide in its face, strived to become better informed on warning signs, and
most importantly have stressed to teenagers that they are not alone and have
options.
Works Cited
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I thought that this was an interesting article. This is a topic that not a lot of people think about. In the community I grew up in there was not a lot of programs out there for teens or even adults who were suicidal. But within the last few years suicide has been a problem within the community so they also have added new programs for teens and adults.
ReplyDeleteI think this article was very interesting as well. That is an insane number of suicides reported. I feel like that needs to be more programs out there to help people in need.
ReplyDeleteI feel this was a good topic to write about. Since it is typically viewed as an unpleasant subject to speak about/think about, it is usually ignored, or not discussed for great lengths of time. It is important that Downers Grove, and other cities in DuPage County, have stepped up and started taking action in an effort to reduce the number of suicides. I believe programs such as "help and hope" should become a more prominent aspect of schools, hospitals, community centers, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think suicide is definitely an important issue today and one that many don’t have a conversation about until it is too late. Children and adults today lead very stressful lives that many feel they can’t cope with and that they often have no one to turn to. I think it’s very important to be aware of the signs and more important to be supportive because this is an issue that is not going to just go away.
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